


You Whistle to My Heart

by cherryladi



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chapters get better, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Slow Burn, first fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-04-18 13:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14214300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryladi/pseuds/cherryladi
Summary: Chaeyoung Park has just moved from Australia to Seoul in search of a new start and away from all her past transgressions. Lalisa Manoban is a girl who has it all: a nice house, friends, career, and lastly, her girlfriend Jennie whom she loves to the highest degree possible. Her dopey smiles and goofy grins hide a darker past though, filled with much regret. Will Chaeyoung be able to break apart the barrier that Lisa has set herself from everyone else, including those she holds most dearly in her heart?Or, the AU in which the girls would have much strife in being able to sort out the complicated feelings that they share with one another. (aka frustrating and "just get together, please.")





	1. Pilot

_ BEEP! _

“Ugh, Mrs. Lee… Not yet… five more minutes…”

_ BEEP! _

“The hell? Mrs. Lee?” 

Chaeyoung groggily opened her eyes. Her throat felt dry and parched, and there was definitely a headache coming into existence; her vision took more time than normal to become focused, the splotches of color gaining a clear outline in a few seconds of constant blinking. 

She stared at the moving fan above her in silence, seeing the gears of the fan turning like those in her brain as she tried to process what had awoken her.

The trip here hadn’t been difficult for someone like her per se, but it had definitely been out of the ordinary, considering the fact that it was her first time overseas. Getting on the plane had felt like she was living a dream, grasping for anything that might jerk her back to reality. But, no, all of this was real. As turbulence had rattled the insides of the plane, she remembered herself gripping the armrest, in worry and shock of the unknown. Unease had settled into a pit in her stomach. Though it had all calmed down once she fell back into a sleep, and soon after she had been woken up by a polite, yet annoyed flight attendant, she knew she’d arrived. The pilot had announced in a gravelly and rough voice through the speakers like the sound wasn’t transmitting correctly, but Chaeyoung had heard it loud and clear enough.

_ Welcome to Seoul, South Korea! Enjoy your stay here and prepare to make some beautiful memories in our lush and diverse country… _

The pilot had droned on and on about the wonders of Seoul, but Chaeyoung had only managed to catch the first few phrases he’d uttered. Her thoughts had drifted off into some far plane (pun intended) of reality and she’d idly picked at her nails while the pilot was speaking. It wasn’t until passengers had begun unloading their carry-ons from the compartments above them that Chaeyoung was snapped out of her stupor, and she quickly scrambled to do the same. She’d trailed behind in the line of passengers eager to exit the plane after some hours of airsickness they’d had to endure. Everything else that happened after that went fast and in a flash, and she could only recall small bits. A driver had held a sign with her name on it and ushered her into the car, driving her off to the apartment complex. 

She’d moved in (barely), gotten settled (sort of), and slept peacefully (she wished). She tossed and turned in bed, unfamiliar with her surroundings but not the least uncomfortable. It felt right to be here, in some twisted sense. So far, her family’s predictions were radically off, and she hoped it would stay that way.

_ How I managed to even escape that household is beyond me, _ she thought.

* * *

**Three Months Ago**

_ She sat at the long, glass dining table, lined with various foods and drinks ready to be consumed. Normally, she would’ve scarfed everything down already, but her appetite dissipated when her parents’ stares bored into her.  _

_ “What do you mean you want to move to South Korea? We’ve been through this already, darling. You’ve got a perfect life here in Australia, everything you could want, and you wanna throw it all away just to start over?” Her father questioned, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I do, but I don’t trust that nothing will happen to my dear heiress. I’m worried about what will happen to the company.” _

_ “Your father has a point, Chaeyoung. You’ll be headed to a completely different area where we won’t be able to look after your health,” Her mother reasoned; her soft brown eyes were a great contrast to her father’s sharp and beady gaze. _

_ “Look, I’m going and this time you really can’t stop me,” Chaeyoung scoffed, “Living in this ‘perfect life’ feels more like a prison. Just with me as the only inmate. And don’t you dare start mentioning the other kids here too, because they’re just as bad as you are. They’re sometimes just more persuasive. They oh-so-love to tell me things like, ‘Chaeng, sometimes I wish I could have the amount of wealth your family possesses. But then other times I think not; I question the ways your family has earned its status, and I’m not sure if I’m ready to throw away my sense of integrity just for a few dollars. I heard it wasn’t all hard work and perseverance. Your family used others and manipulated them, stomped on others as stepping stones, and barely did any work.’ I don’t know the truth, but it sounds pretty damn believable.” _

_ Her father interrupted her, setting down his utensils firmly with clang, “That’s exactly the reason why you don’t listen to them. How many times do I have to tell you this?” _

_ “Not many. You barely talk to me anymore.” _

_ His hold on the glass filled to the brim with orange juice shook as it tightened, and Chaeyoung could see his knuckles whitening from the pressure.  _

_ “Chaeyoung, cut your father some slack, will you?” Her mother sliced her sunny-side-up eggs neatly, yolk dripping onto the toast next to it, “He’s been working hard this past year and doesn’t want to come home to petty arguments like this.” _

_ “I don’t think he wants to come home at all,” Chaeyoung pointed out, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. “I get that feeling though. I don’t wanna come back to a place that’s been the source of so many… unpleasant memories.” _

_ Her father stayed quiet, and Chaeyoung could only guess there was a burning rage building up in him. Her mother, on the other hand, looked pleadingly at her, like she was warning her to stop. The man finally glanced back up to Chaeyoung, his eyes swirling a hundred shades darker than she had ever seen. _

_ “I’ll probably regret asking this, but what if I were to let you go?” He broke the silence, taking a sip of the orange juice.  _

_ “Honey, no!” Her mother interjected. _

_ “Quiet now, Haeun,” He waved her off with his backhand. _

_ “If you did that, I’d be out of here by tomorrow, guaranteed.” Chaeyoung shrugged.  _

_ “But, where would you go?” Her father questioned. _

_ “I know a friend up there, and she’ll get me settled.” _

_ “How did you two meet‐” _

_ “Nevermind that, but I know I can trust her.” _

_ “You pass around your trust too easily.” _

_ “I consider that a benefit rather than something negative.” _

_ “That won’t be a benefit when you’re taking over my role. And I can assure you that it  _ will _ be happening soon,” Her father’s face held a blank expression, but she knew it was only there to cover up his frustration. “Consider this a small break. Why, you could get to know some of our business partners already located in Seoul and use it as an opportunity to get a taste of what you’ll be doing.” _

_ “Sure,” Chaeyoung said, unconvinced, “I’m full.” She threw in her napkin onto the plate and pushed out of her chair, “I’ll be in my room packing if you need me.” _

_ “Thank you for breakfast,” Chaeyoung smiled at the cooks, and they nodded in return. _

_ “No, come back right this instant, Chaeyo‐” _

* * *

_ BEEP! _

“I swear to Christ…” Chaeyoung smacked her phone off her nightstand. It landed softly on the carpet with a muffled plop. She rubbed her temples and kicked the sheets off of her, swinging her feet off to the left of the bed to sit and fully wake up before getting dressed.

_ Why did I have an alarm set up…?  _ She tried to organize her busying thoughts running around.

She soon clicked in realization when she remembered her previous plans. Kim Jisoo was the friend up in Seoul she had told her father about. She was supposed to meet up with her today, and the older girl had already taken the initiative to send her the address of the coffee shop she owned. Chaeyoung assumed they’d just be catching up and meeting each other for the first time. After months of communication through different platforms and group chats, she’d grown a solid trust for Jisoo and was confident enough that she wasn’t going to get killed or robbed when she entered the doors of the given address. At least, she hoped so. 

She quickly got up from her bed, but then began to feel a little light-headed. Grabbing her phone from the floor, she stumbled over to her bathroom located in the other room next to the bedroom and clutched the sink when she reached it. She saw spots dancing in her vision and could only assume that the delayed jet-lag was finally getting to her. She inhaled deeply and tried to fight the urge to vomit, washing up and preparing for the long day ahead of her. 

Chaeyoung exited her apartment wearing a tank top with a cardigan covering her bare skin and grey sweatpants. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail so that the humidity of the air outside wouldn’t have it frizzing up. She got down to the lower floors of the apartment complex and stuffed herself into her car, speeding out. Chaeyoung pulled up her GPS and entered the address of Jisoo’s café while driving, trying to quickly multitask. Jisoo was expecting to see her in fifteen minutes at the coffee shop, and she certainly didn’t want to be late. 

Ten minutes in and she luckily hadn’t been stopped by any red lights, but the car in front of her was painfully slow. Chaeyoung glanced at her phone to check the time and how much longer it would take to arrive. It wasn’t terribly long, but she’d be late by a few minutes. But her thin patience wasn’t something people wanted to toy with. She honked at the front car relentlessly, growing more and more irritated as every honk only seemed to slow the car in front of her even more. 

Suddenly, the person who was driving the car in front of her came out. A tall girl with dark brown hair was sporting a pair of ripped jeans, a colorful bomber jacket, and a black snapback that covered most of her upper features, including her eyes and forehead, stepped out.

“What’s your problem?” She asked confrontationally. She leaned against the closed door of her car and tilted her head up, getting a look at Chaeyoung from under her snapback. Chaeyoung could see the slight figure of someone else in the car, leaning toward her and trying to get a glimpse of what was happening outside. Chaeyoung could vaguely tell it was a girl, but from the blinding sunlight, it wasn’t safe to assume. She turned her attention back to the main girl. 

“Listen, I got somewhere to go, and I don’t want to be late. Could you start driving, maybe? You’re not only holding me up but also everyone behind me. It doesn’t take much energy to peer out the window and witness everyone waiting behind you. I don’t really have the time to deal with this nonsense right now.” Chaeyoung made a move to head back to her car.

“I don’t know, sorry, I guess? I don’t appreciate the snarky way you’re addressing me because obviously you could’ve just politely honked one time and let it be.”

“And how was I supposed to do that if you weren’t paying attention to the rest of my signals?”

“I was, but I’d just wanted to see how long you’d keep it up for,” She smirked.

Chaeyoung exasperatedly sighed, “Again, I don’t have time for your bullshit. Have a nice rest of your day, _ma'am_ ,” She said sarcastically. 

“Hold on, I’m not done yet,” She stopped her, a determined expression crossing her face.

“You’re not done lecturing me?” Chaeyoung got into her car and rolled down the windows, “Thanks, but I’ll pass. It really should be vice versa though, don’t you think?”

“Wait‐”

But, Chaeyoung didn’t hear anything. By the time the girl started her phrase, Chaeyoung already started her engine and was off, thin wisps of smoke curling from where her car used to be parked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is my first fic. I worked really hard on it and I'm hoping for some suggestions! Comments and kudos are super appreciated! Thanks for reading!


	2. Meeting

Lisa woke up to soft snores coming from the other half of the bed she was on. She turned to see Jennie, curled up in a ball next to her. Soft tresses of brown curtained her face, but Lisa knew she was smiling. Whatever dream she was having, it must’ve been a good one. Lisa shuffled a bit, trying to untangle herself from the sleeping girl. She pulled off the blanket covering them both and the cold air conditioning of the bedroom enveloped her. Jennie seemed to notice the shift of bodies and wiggled under the sheets, waking up to an amused Lisa.

“Good morning,” Jennie mumbled. Her cute eyes fluttered open.

“Morning, beautiful,” Lisa leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “Did you sleep well last night? Saw you were smiling in your dream just a minute ago." 

That definitely woke Jennie up. “Lisa!” She playfully slapped her on the arm.  

"What were you even dreaming about? Me?" Lisa impishly grinned.

Jennie scoffed, "You wish, weirdo."

“We should get up now, aren’t you meeting up with Jisoo at 9:00? I don’t think you’d wanna be late for that.” Lisa said, snuggling to Jennie's ticklish side. 

The smaller girl giggled, "Ah, stop it, that tickles. Yeah, we should get going. But I don't think we'll be getting anywhere if you keep clinging onto me like that."

Lisa pouted, "Fine." 

The two girls got out of bed. Although reluctant at first, Lisa eventually woke up to Jennie's constant remarks of how she needed to get there quickly, to make sure she didn't keep Jisoo waiting. They got dressed in and stepped down the steps of the house and into the kitchen. Lisa perched herself on one of the stools and glanced at Jennie expectantly. 

“What’s for breakfast, Chef?” Lisa asked.

“My world-famous pancakes!” Jennie took out a pan and the necessary ingredients, "I mean if you're willing to wait. I haven't made the batter yet."

"That's fine, I can wait an eternity just to have those pancakes," Lisa licked her lips. 

Jennie rolled her eyes, "Be quiet and start measuring, please." 

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

When they both had their fill of delicious and fluffy pancakes, the two made it to their car. Lisa got in the driver’s seat and Jennie the passenger. They drove out of the parking garage and peacefully started off.

* * *

Jennie and Lisa were in a heavy debate about music when they heard a loud series of honks coming from behind their car. Jennie suggested that she ignore it, but Lisa had already gotten out of the car. Because no one, and by that, she meant _no one_ , was going to interrupt her when she was about to win something against Jennie. 

When she got out, she was greeted with the sight of a girl with dark hair in a ponytail, wearing what could pass as pajamas. The girl looked awfully irked.

“What’s your problem?” Lisa asked, confused as to what she’d done to upset the other girl so much. 

She took the edges of her cardigan and pulled it across herself, “Listen, I got somewhere to go, and I don’t want to be late. Could you start driving, maybe? You’re not only holding me up but also everyone behind me. It doesn’t take much energy to peer out the window and witness everyone waiting behind you. I don’t really have the time to deal with this nonsense right now.”

“I don’t know, sorry, I guess? I don’t appreciate the snarky way you’re addressing me because obviously you could’ve just politely honked one time and let it be.”

“And how was I supposed to do that if you weren’t paying attention to the rest of my signals?”

“I was, but I’d just wanted to see how long you’d keep it up for,” Lisa smirked, finding the girl’s reaction just a bit funny. 

She sighed, “Again, I don’t have time for your bullshit. Have a nice rest of the day, ma’am,” Lisa could feel a twinge of sarcasm dripping from her tone but decided to ignore it. 

“Hold on, I’m not done yet,” Lisa stopped her, not feeling like she got much from the conversation. 

“You’re not done lecturing me?” She got into the car anyway but not without speaking to Lisa through the window, “Thanks, but I’ll pass. It really should be vice versa though, don’t you think?”

“Wait‐” Lisa started, but the girl hit the gas and went out of the scene.

"And she’s already gone,” Jennie said, “Lisa, take deep breaths, like calm down.” She laughed.

“Ah, I hate people like that. We’ve got to go somewhere too, but I don’t see us going around and honking at everyone!”

“Too bad. I didn’t get to see her,” Jennie lamented while looking at her distressed girlfriend.

“I don’t think you wanted to, the girl looked like she just woke up five minutes ago,” She muttered begrudgingly. 

* * *

Chaeyoung rushed to the destination that Jisoo had sent her. Cars couldn’t pass where she was going, so she parked nearby and set off on foot to Jisoo’s coffee shop. Pulling up her phone again, she shuffled along while listening to music on her phone. She read the different signs and street names, feeling the Korean she learned but never spoke outside of the household coming back to her. The music she was listening to was putting a skip in her step, and she could tell she looked different from the other pedestrians walking beside her.  

Soon enough, she reached the doors of the café. Chaeyoung took out her earbuds and glanced at the sign. It read in flickering neon lights “BLACKPINK Coffee.” The exterior of the shop itself looked uncared for, but once Chaeyoung squinted inside, the place actually looked like somewhere she’d come to often. It had the right atmosphere, warm and inviting. Well, that was the atmosphere and not the decorations. Chaeyoung thought that Jisoo wanted the name of the shop to represent its inside as well, but she may have went a little overboard. While Chaeyoung would’ve accented particular areas with black and pink, almost every corner of the place had the colors. It gave her vertigo upon sight.  

_I can see where you got the name, Jisoo,_ She thought. 

She went in, seeing a few customers sitting in random areas and further examined the interior. Chaeyoung caught sight of one of the girls serving a cup of espresso to a customer. She was wearing a flowery off-shoulder dress that reached her knees and swished every time she turned. Her hair was let down and flowing across her shoulders, like a waterfall of ink. Chaeyoung smiled internally when she made eye contact with her and gave her a small, timid wave. Just a flick of her wrist, nothing much. But when the other met her eyes, the existing sweet smile on her delicate features widened ever so slightly, and she looked quite surprised. 

“Chaeyoungie! Is that you?” Jisoo asked incredulously, like she couldn’t believe the girl she’d been talking to the last few months was actually here.

“Live and in the flesh,” Chaeyoung winked. 

Jisoo ran up to Chaeyoung, before the latter could do anything to stop her, and engulfed her in a tight bear hug. Jisoo smelled of magnolias, and Chaeyoung could sense the flower theme the older girl was following right now.  

“Wow, it’s so nice to finally see you in person!” Jisoo admitted, “I have been dying to see you since you told me you were coming here.” 

“I honestly thought I’d never see you in my lifetime,” Chaeyoung squeezed her bare shoulder, “You’re a lot shorter than I thought you’d be though.” 

“Yah, I’m still older,” Jisoo snapped. 

“You never seem to make me forget,” She teased fondly. They both moved away from the customer Jisoo had previously served, who seemed to be not-so-subtly glowering at them. 

“How are your eyes feeling?” Jisoo asked, strolling behind the counter and organizing the different things located back there. 

“What?” Chaeyoung was confused by the sudden question.  

“I asked how are your eyes feeling? This place doesn’t go easy on the eyes. At all,” Jisoo nervously laughed, “The black and pink just _pop_ out.”  

“Yeah, they really do.” Chaeyoung blinked once Jisoo mentioned it.

“And not in a good way. I was gonna get an interior designer to come here and remodel and redecorate the café. I don’t know what the previous designer who worked for me was thinking when she made _this_ ,” Jisoo gestured around her. 

“It’s not entirely terrible…” Chaeyoung tried. Jisoo shot her a look that said:  _ even you don’t believe what you’re saying.  _ “Okay, it’s bad, but still salvageable! Look on the bright side!”

“Which bright side? You gotta be more specific here, Chaeyoung,” Jisoo made a show of looking in every nook and cranny of the shop.

“Oh, hush. Have you gotten a designer yet? If you have, I don’t see how you would’ve found one considering from what you’ve told me, this place remains eternally busy.”

“Well, it’s pretty simple. I know a friend who knows a friend who knows a guy and that guy knows one of my friends, and it turns out that one of my closest friends is actually an interior designer.”

Chaeyoung was still trying to connect the dots, “Yeah, I definitely understand.”

“Hey, who do we have here?” A smooth voice called from the entrance. 

They both whipped around to greet the new visitor. It was a girl with a calm look on her face, looking very self-assured but not in an arrogant way. The way she carried herself yelled confidence, and Chaeyoung could only sulk away when she saw her. She was dressed in a hoodie, jeans, and some converse. Her straight brown hair was braided and it fell down to her back. She was intimidating, to say the least. 

“Ah, totally forgot about introductions,” Jisoo facepalmed. “Anyway, Chaeyoung, this is Kim Jennie, my close friend who works as an interior designer that I was telling you about earlier. Jennie, this is Park Chaeyoung, a friend from overseas who’s recently moved here to Seoul.”

“Nice to finally put a face to the name,” Jennie took her hand out for Chaeyoung to shake, and she did earnestly. 

“A pleasure to meet you.” Chaeyoung smiled slightly at Jennie, “I didn’t know Jisoo talked about me,” She looked pointedly at the oldest, who had not yet stirred even when her name was mentioned.

“Oh, Jisoo talks about anyone and everyone,” Jennie added. “You eventually get used to it.”

“I haven’t yet, but since I’m here, I’ll be even more prone to her ramblings,” Chaeyoung snickered.

“Why are y’all ganging up on me now?” Jisoo asked, looking at the two like they had offended her mother and family name.

“Your fault for introducing us.”

“Mhm.”

“Now that I think about it, your voice sounds very familiar,” She switched her gaze to Chaeyoung. “It’s like I’ve heard it somewhere…” Jennie noticed.

“That’s strange. I don’t think I know you so that can’t be possible.” Chaeyoung beamed at her, “It’s alright though, we’ll get to know each other from now on. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Jennie agreed, her own smile growing bigger.

“Glad you’re getting along. Now, will you both just move out of the way so my customers can actually get out?” She scolded. A middle-aged man walked out of the café, with Jisoo holding the door open for him. 

“Y’know if you never went into the coffee business, you’d make a mean doorman,” Chaeyoung commented.

Jennie stared at Chaeyoung, her mouth agape, “I was just about to say that.” Chaeyoung looked back with an expression of pure amazement.

However, Jisoo frowned and backed away from them, “Learn to respect your elders and shut up‐”

“Excuse me, miss? May I order?” A customer interjected, holding up his menu and waving it impatiently.

“Gah, I’ll be back. Don’t make a mess of my café,” Jisoo warned and ruffled Jennie’s hair. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the second chapter is out! what's going to happen next? Thanks for the support so far!


	3. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh! Thanks! I might post a little later this time, got a lot of school work!

“Oof gotta go guys! Duty awaits!” Jisoo quickly pat Jennie’s head and she was gone in a flash.

Chaeyoung could swear she saw Jennie’s face redden from the action. But the moment she saw it, it was gone as fast as it had happened.

 “So…” Chaeyoung shuffled awkwardly.

 “Yeah…”

 “How’s life?”

 “I have a date scheduled with my girlfriend this evening.”

 “Oh really? That’s… nice.”

 “I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it though. Jisoo looks pretty overwhelmed here so I’d want to help out.  She was the one who originally set me up with Lisa. I owe her a lot.”

 “Aw, that sucks. I think it’ll be fine. I could help run this place. You go enjoy your date tonight!”

 “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Chae. I still have to go over the remodeling plans with Jisoo.” Jennie raised an eyebrow.

 Chaeyoung mouthed a silent ‘oh’.

 “No, it’s fine!” Jennie said when she saw her frown arising, “It’s just that I know Jisoo been stressed these days, and I wanna be a good friend and help another… friend, right?”

 As Jennie said that, Jisoo came back with a huge grin on her face.

 “Who’s ready to remodel this crap? Say ‘whoot whoot’!” Jisoo pumped up her fists.

 “Whoot whoot!” Chaeyoung and Jennie simultaneously called out.

* * *

“So, it’s gonna look like this?” Jisoo pointed to a sample.

“Yes, theoretically,” Jennie looked over, “Are you not satisfied with this?”

“Actually quite the opposite,” Jisoo looked dead serious, “I ABSOLUTELY ADORE IT!!!!”

Chaeyoung was a little taken aback. Jisoo mood could really change in a split second, couldn’t it?

“I think it’s perfect Jisoo, it really fits your personal preference,” Chaeyoung observed.

“Ah, I’m getting tired over all of this work,” Jisoo rubbed her temple, “You guys wanna go out for lunch?”

“YES PLEASE!!!!!!!” Chae exclaimed, “I haven’t eaten today yet!”

The girls had a large lunch, where Chaeyoung ate most of the food. She felt stuffed and wanted to go home and sleep, but Jennie and Jisoo invited her to go to a local fair that had stopped by. And she didn’t have the heart to refuse.

* * *

 Now all the girls felt drowsy after their day at the fair, especially Jennie. She had been the one to recommend the rides that they gonna go on, and she felt like she was gonna just crash at Jisoo’s place.

 _I don’t think Lisa will mind if I stay at Jisoo’s tonight…_ Jennie pondered, _it’s a weekend anyway, no plans… plans… Lisa…_ Jennie immediately came out of her sleepy state.

“Oh damn! I had my date with Lisa tonight!” Jennie panicked, “I missed it!”

She took out her phone. There were messages and calls from Lisa that she had missed when Jennie put her phone on mute.

“Jesus, I’m so stupid, and it was our 1 year anniversary too,” Jennie covered her face with her hands, “This is all my fault.”

“You’re not stupid! We just lost track of time,” Jisoo put her arm around her, “Just explain to her what happened, she’ll understand. 

Chaeyoung felt helpless. She didn’t know how to comfort Jennie, they were literally strangers until this morning. But she didn’t want to just stand there so she excused herself to go to the bathroom. The other two didn’t seem to notice her leave.

“Are you sure?” Tears fell down her cheeks.

Jisoo cupped her face and wiped away her tears with her thumbs. She then pulled her even closer and Jennie’s head rest on her shoulder.

“Crybaby…” Jisoo gently laughed then stroked her hair. The two stayed like that for a while. 

* * *

 When all tears had been shed, Jennie slowly broke away from Jisoo’s tender hold.

“Um, thanks Jisoo. I really appreciate it.” She gave a small smile.

“Anytime.” Jisoo kept staring at her face. She thought Jennie still looked beautiful, even with puffy and red eyes.

Jennie pointed to her makeup. “Oh, is it smudged? Ah, Christ, I feel like crap and look like it.” 

“I’ll get it,” Jisoo pulled out a makeup wipe from her purse. “Can’t leave without these.” She gently wiped all the excess makeup that remained on Jennie’s face.

Jennie grabbed Jisoo’s hand and took the wipe from it. “I’ll throw it away, just gotta find a trash can somewhere…”

“Wait… we gotta find Chaeyoung too! Where’d she go?”

They looked around in the darkness, with lights coming from the remaining open booths at the fair. Jennie finally found Chae at a booth selling burgers and fries.

 “Hey, where’d you go? We were worried!” Jennie pulled her into a hug.

“I was hungry,” she said with a mouthful of fries.

“Heh, she looks like a really cute chipmunk!” Jisoo joked.

“You’re so mean!” Chaeyoung put her hand on her heart and feigned being hurt.

“Come on we should get going now, it’s getting dark,” Jennie told them.

“Yeah, you’re right. Y’all get in the car!” Jisoo shouted. 

They got in and Chaeyoung immediately passed out in the back. Jisoo took a picture and showed it to Jennie.

 “This is really good blackmail material!” Jisoo smiled mischievously.

 They both giggled and started their way to Chaeyoung’s apartment.

* * *

When they arrived, it took a while to wake up Chae. The girl refused to get out of the car. Her excuse was that “she had found a really comfortable position”.

They eventually dragged her out and said their goodbyes and they set off to Jennie and Lisa’s house.

The car veered over to the driveway when it reached its final destination.

 Jennie was crazy nervous when she saw the lights were still on inside the house.

“You’ll be fine, Jennie,” Jisoo reassured, “Remember what I told you, okay?” 

Jennie nodded and got out of the car. “Good night, Jisoo.”

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!” And with that, she drove away.

* * *

 She slowly crept into their house, but then accidentally slammed the door on the way in. Lisa came out to greet her in the foyer.

“Hey.”

“I am so sorry, Lisa… ” Jennie started to mumble incoherently, but then she was stopped by Lisa.

“It’s fine.”

“What?”

“It’s fine. I know you wouldn’t purposefully miss our anniversary. And if you had to miss it, it would be for an important matter. I trust you Jennie, and I understand.”

Jennie started to tear up and ran up to hug her. Lisa reciprocated the hug and muttered, “Do you wanna just watch some movies? I’m in that kind of mood.” 

Jennie stopped sniffling and beamed at her. “Yeah. I would love to.”

She didn’t know what she did to ever deserve Lisa, but she felt guilty for not telling her where she went. Jennie wasn’t gonna have that thought ruin her remaining night with Lisa though.


	4. Snapback

Chaeyoung woke up earlier the next morning to go and help out at Jisoo’s shop. She couldn’t stop thinking about last night. What was going on between Jisoo and Jennie? She hoped that Jennie was okay now, since her breakdown. She wanted to text her to see if she was fine now, but she realized she’d never actually received the older girl’s number. But she did have Jisoo’s, so she sent her a text telling her she’d be there at the shop later.

Chaeyoung looked through her wardrobe to see what she’d wear today.

 _I am in dire need of a shopping trip,_ She noted.

She finally picked out a decent outfit, then went to her kitchen to microwave some ramen for breakfast.

Chaeyoung, satisfied with her breakfast, headed out to Jisoo’s shop. This time, whatsoever, she wasn’t in a hurry. She played music from her iPod and sang along as she drove.

* * *

**Jennie and Lisa POV**

Jennie woke up in Lisa’s warm embrace. She looked up and stared at her peaceful sleeping state.

“You know, staring is creepy…” Lisa muttered under her breath.

Jennie jolted out of her hold. “You scared me!”

“Ahh Jennie, come back, I’m cold…” she whined.

Jennie still felt bad about the events of yesterday, “Would you like to join me for a little breakfast date today? For our anniversary?”

Lisa smiled at her, “I would love to,” Lisa kissed her lightly on the lips, “Thank you.”

Jennie held her hand out, “Come on. We should get going.”

She accepted Jennie’s hand but then pulled her back onto the bed, wrapping her arms tightly around the older girl. Lisa planted kisses all over her face while Jennie was giggling, trying her best to escape her grasp.

* * *

**Chaeyoung POV**

Chaeyoung didn’t even realize she had made it to the shop until the song she was singing finally ended. 

The moment she entered Jisoo’s cafe, she was greeted by hyped squeals and hugs.

“You didn’t have to come!” her words were muffled by Chaeyoung’s shoulder.

Jisoo lets out another loud squeal.

“Let’s get your apron on!” Jisoo clapped.

“My what?”

Jisoo grabbed her hand and Chaeyoung was reluctantly pulled into the back of the cafe.

* * *

**Jennie and Lisa POV**

Jennie led Lisa by her hand to the front doors. She then opened them for her.

“After you, madame.” Jennie gestured with a flair.

Lisa giggled and went in but stumbled a little bit due to the flashy colors.

Jennie seemed to know. “You’ll get used to it.”

Lisa smiled nervously. “It’s not _that_ bad. Here, you wanna take a photo? It’ll probably look better with some filters applied to it. Just let me get my phone…” She stuck her hand in her pocket. Nothing. The other pocket? Empty. She rummaged through the belongings in her purse. Barren.

“Huh, I must’ve left it in the car… I’ll be right back, Jennie.” Lisa said.

“Oh okay. Don’t take too long, though. I’ll be lonely,” Jennie pouted.

She smirked, “I’ll be back before you know it!”

As soon as Lisa had exited the doors, Jennie spotted someone familiar over at the back of the cafe. Chaeyoung, with a bright smile, waved her over.

Jennie made her way to the back and when she got there, and Chaeyoung immediately placed both of her hands in hers.

“Hey, how are you? I was worried sick.” Jennie looked into her eyes. She could already feel the sincerity that was directed at her.

“I’m fine now. Thanks for asking, Chae. Means a lot.” She lowered her head but brought it right back up again to give her a soft smile.

“Uh, let me give you a table.” Chaeyoung led her to a lone one where no one else was situated. “Are you here with anyone else, perhaps?”

Another smile began to form on Jennie’s face. “My girlfriend actually. We made up, but I still felt like I owed her so I invited her to have breakfast here with me.”

Chaeyoung brought up a hand to cover her wide-open mouth. “Awww, that is _so_ sweet!”

“CHAEYOUNGIE!”

She hastily turned around in shock at the bellowing voice calling her name.

“Are you here to help me or just socialize, you chatterbox?” Jisoo put her hands on her hips.

Chaeyoung anxiously smiled. “Um… I- I’m always here to help, Jichu!”

Jisoo’s humorless face turned into one of playfulness, as she places her hand on a flustered Chaeyoung’s shoulder.

“Kidding, just kidding. _But_ I do need you to go fetch something for me.” Chaeyoung gave her a puzzled look.

“I may have left my purse back at my apartment, could you go get it? I would but I’m kinda like the guardian of this place, so… wouldn’t want to do that.”  Jisoo tossed her the apartment keys. “I’m also really lazy and don’t want to go all the way back,” she loudly whispered to Jennie.

Chaeyoung stared at the keys for a while. There’s a Pikachu keychain on it. She was baffled by the difference in Jisoo’s mental age and her _actual_ age.

“Okay then… be back soon.” Chaeyoung sighed.

* * *

Lisa could not find her phone. She could’ve sworn she had left it in the front compartment of her car.

_Think, think, Lisa. It has to be close by._

She decided to check what she had on herself again. She patted the front pockets of her jeans, checked inside her purse, put her hand inside the side pouches on her purse, even inside her black snapback, but nothing. It wasn’t until her fingers grazed the back area of her jeans, where her pockets were. Lisa felt something rectangular. She pulled out her phone.

“Oh, my God.” She mentally facepalmed.

Lisa didn’t know how she was embarrassed. She was alone for heaven’s sake! But her cheeks were definitely getting redder. Whatever, she had to get back to Jennie. She’d spent a good 15 minutes looking for her damn phone.

* * *

On Lisa’s way back, she spotted someone. It was another girl. That dark brown long hair. Her figure, or more specifically her slender waist. Lisa was racking her mind, she looked so familiar. She had definitely seen her before.

Lisa squinted her eyes, trying to get a closer look at the girl. Her delicate features and full lips made her blood race and her body feel warmer. The girl now had her phone out and posed. She seemed to be taking a selfie.

Lisa gasped.

She had identified her.

It was the girl.

The girl from the day before.

Who had honked at her and then left abruptly.

The feeling of anger made Lisa’s face even redder as she approached the cause of her wrath. The girl didn’t seem to notice.

As much as Lisa wanted to yell at her, she didn’t think she’d have enough time to spare for a confrontation. Time is precious, you must use it wisely. And she _certainly_ would not waste any on _her._

So instead, Lisa forcefully bumped her with her shoulder.

That finally got her attention.

“The hell is your problem?”

“What a question, huh?” Lisa pretended to ponder over it. “Oh, I know! Most definitely… you.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Really? Take a closer look. And by that, I meant not at your phone. Who takes a selfie in the middle of a parking garage?”

Her face flushed. Lisa couldn’t comprehend what it was, embarrassment or rage.

The girl took a few seconds to say anything back.

“You.”

“What?”

“From the other day. I remember you. The one who was driving like a damn snail.”

“Pardon?” Lisa got up closer. “Say it again, please, I didn’t hear you.”

The girl got right back in her face, “You were driving like a _damn snail._ ” She emphasized the last part. “I’d honestly be dead before I even reached my destination with you in front of me.” she shrugged.

Lisa gripped harder onto the snapback she had in her hand.

“See if _I_ wanted to be dead,” Lisa started, “I would climb up to your ego then jump down to your IQ level.”

“Wow, you could try but it would be hard to jump that high. Unlike with you.” The girl gave a sweet smile contradicting her statement.

Lisa quietly chuckled. She didn't think she would. The moment she heard it come out of her mouth, she thought she had gone insane. But maybe not.

“I don’t think I have time to do this right now. Maybe next time?” Still laughing.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Sure.” The girl began to walk away with a slight smirk on her face.

Lisa shouted back at her, “Hey! Don’t forget to post that selfie on Instagram!”

* * *

Lisa finally got back to the cafe after the whole incident. She found where Jennie was sitting and someone was next to her. Probably that friend she had been talking about.

She plopped down next to Jennie, still a little annoyed. Jennie seemed to take notice.

“What’s up? Did you find your phone?”

“Yeah. But had a little trouble on the way back.” She grumbled.

“Do you wanna tell me about it?”

“Nope. Rather not.”

“Okay, your loss. I could have fixed the problem.” Jennie turns to her friend. “I think we’ll be ordering now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this one's a little longer. Please don't make your standards higher now! Lol, thanks to those who read it!


	5. Sweet

Chaeyoung was still mulling over what had just happened in the parking garage. Did she leave _that_ bad of an impression on black snapback girl when they first met? Because she definitely did on Chaeyoung. She wasn’t the type of person to argue and quarrel, but instead be the mediator. But just being _next_ to that girl lit some sort of metaphorical fire inside her. She sensed that snapback girl opened a completely new side of her that she wasn’t aware of, and she was unsure of how she felt about that.

What she _was_ sure of was that she was craving some ice cream.

* * *

She walked into the nearby confectionary shop and was immediately greeted by the aroma of sweet chocolate and other flavors. Chaeyoung’s stomach growled louder with every passing second.

There were strings of fairy lights delicately crossing the ceiling. It was as if she had stepped into a technicolor dream world. Teddy bears, big and small, were placed in each of the four corners of the room. Shelves filled with different assortments of candy rested on the left wall. The right wall was decorated with cutesy pictures of various TV animated characters. It had been a while since she’d seen some and Chaeyoung only recognized a Winnie-the-Pooh picture. The cashier booth, which was unoccupied at the moment, lay quietly off to the side, blending in with the background. The decor of the shop was atrociously adorable, but it would have to work because her appetite was not going to let her go anywhere else.

Someone walked up to her, but the decorations had captivated her. Chaeyoung glanced at the boy but had only gotten a glimpse of his lower body.

“Hello, what would you like to have? Ice cream? Macarons? Chocolate? Any sweet you could ever want is on the menu,” said a deep male voice.

“Oh, um…” She finally looked up at his face. Her cheeks immediately reddened. He was undoubtedly handsome, with symmetrical facial features, dark eyes, red lips, and almost God-like proportions. Glasses sat on the bridge of his well-shaped nose, and they were round, almost like they were taken straight from Harry Potter himself. His long eyelashes were practically feminine. Warm eyes looked softly into hers, and she felt as if she would melt, right then and there. His shaggy but beautifully styled hair was a light tint of vivid brown. It covered his forehead and a little bit of his eyes. The boy looked ethereal… unreal. She didn’t think that someone with a rich and husky voice as his could like he did. But it somehow worked and it fit for him. He had donned an apron with Rilakkuma front and center. It was very loose on him and looked adorable. Coincidentally, it actually went along perfectly with the theme of the confectionary shop.

She must have been staring for an uncomfortable amount of time because he began to shift awkwardly and avoid eye contact.

“How could someone be so gorgeous?” She muttered to herself, still oblivious to his obvious stiffness.

He relaxed. “What was that miss? I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you.” He leaned in closer to hear what she had said.

“Nothing! Nothing!” Chaeyoung blurted out. She looked at his colorful name tag. “Taehyung.”

“Alright then… could I interest you with anything on the menu?” He smiled sweetly.

“Could I just have some chocolate ice cream?”

He gave her two thumbs up. “Right on it!”

* * *

Within two minutes, Taehyung had already come back with her cup of chocolate ice cream, embellished with some M&Ms on the top.

Chaeyoung stood up to go grab it, but he put his hand up to stop her. “No need miss. I work part-time delivery as well.”

She laughed at his words and sat down.

“Would you mind if I joined you as well? It’s been a slow day here and I haven’t had anyone to talk to.” He ruffled his hair.

She smirked and gestured to the seat adjacent to hers. “It’s all yours.”

He gave a boxy smile. Taehyung slid off his apron to reveal a dress shirt with a patterned tie underneath.

“So you know my name,” He pointed to his name tag, “But what’s yours? That’s not really fair you know.”

“Chaeyoung Park,” She smiled shyly.

Taehyung held his hand out, “A name fit for someone as beautiful as you.” Chaeyoung blushed but sneakily hid it with a cough.

She shook it and was surprised at how big and soft his hand was. She expected it to be rougher for someone working in this profession. Their hands lingered there for a few more seconds before Chaeyoung quickly let go.

“What else would you like to know, Sherlock?” She jokingly questioned.

He took off his glasses and placed them in the pocket of his trousers. He then situated both hands on the table and folded them.

“Everything.”

* * *

The two had been talking for a long time now, and both were very invested in what the other was saying. They spoke of their dreams, hopes, and their lives as of present. Chaeyoung found out that Taehyung was an easygoing person, he seemed to enjoy the little things in life. He was unsatisfied with working the shop and wanted to pursue a career in photography. But he would end up feeling guilty for leaving behind some loyal customers of his who came regularly. What Chaeyoung said to him was that he should follow his dreams and everything would work out in his favor eventually. They talked about these things and many more.

By the time Chaeyoung checked her phone again, 3 hours had already passed by.

“Oh crap,” She looked at her phone in horror.

“What’s wrong?” Taehyung asked worriedly.

“I have to get going. Oh God,” She stammered, “I’m sorry!”

“Oh okay! It’s completely fine.” He assured, “If you gotta go, you gotta go!” He reasoned.

“Yeah! We could meet up again sometime.” Chaeyoung smiled hopefully. She quickly sent a text to Jisoo apologizing to her and telling her she had to go home instead of the cafe.

“Definitely,” He said as Chaeyoung was hastily packing things into her purse, “But could I get your number?”

“Damn… yeah, you’re right. Phone please?” She took his phone right out of Taehyung’s hands. She hurriedly punched her number in his contacts and handed it back to him.

“Thanks,” Chaeyoung looked at her phone again.

“Put away your phone and go!” Taehyung laughed.

“Okay, okay.” She stuffed her phone in her purse and exited the confectionary shop.

Chaeyoung went outside and it was pouring hard. Of course, she didn’t bring her jacket. Taehyung somehow knew and gave her his.

“What?! No! It’s fine!” She exclaimed.

“No, it’s not. Take it, I’ll be okay.” he expressed.

She put on his jacket. It smelled like chocolate. Chaeyoung made a break for her car, hoping not to get soaked.

“Bye Taehyung! I really enjoyed our talk!” She yelled behind her.

“Same here! Get going and please drive safely! It’s raining!”

“I will!” Chaeyoung drove out with a grinning Taehyung still waving to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again! thanks for putting up with some cringey writing so far, I'm really thankful!


	6. Exhausted

It had been three hours since she entered Jisoo’s cafe.

It had been three hours since Lisa encountered Pajama Girl in the parking lot.

It had been three hours since she stuffed herself with food just to be considerate to Jisoo and the never-ending trays of food that were being served to her.

She was exhausted.

Jisoo and Jennie had been chatting for as long as Lisa could remember, involved in a conversation that she couldn’t join. She could understand why they were so close. They had a lot of similarities, but it was their differences that made them inseparable partners-in-crime. Jennie had told her that they were friends since childhood and that they met in second grade. Lisa wondered how their friendship was able to last that long. She guessed they must have a really strong bond with each other.

They talked about the old memories that the two shared from their past and chatted about how they’ve changed so much. Jisoo mentioned that Jennie used to be a small shy girl and that she had completely grown out of that image. To that, Jennie defended herself, saying that she hadn’t transformed into a new person as Jisoo had exaggerated. Jisoo shook her head and mouthed a “nope” to Lisa. They both burst into fits of laughter after that, with Lisa awkwardly laughing along.

Lisa noticed how carefree Jennie was with Jisoo. She even seemed a little more stiff with Lisa.

At first, Lisa was involved in the conversation but as the topic shifted she was ultimately pushed out. Jisoo made an effort to try to include Lisa in their talk but was blocked by a new statement from Jennie every time. Eventually, Jisoo gave up and only interacted with Jennie. Lisa felt nauseated at that.

She excused herself to go to the bathroom feeling more nauseous as Jennie and Jisoo continued talking. Once she entered the bathroom she calmed down. She stared down at herself apprehensively, almost like she wished she was someone else.

When she realized what she had thought, she grabbed the sink tightly. Her knuckles turned white and her face paled. She reminded herself she was the one dating Jennie, not Jisoo. But the more she thought of the two the better they seemed to fit together. Lisa always had these thoughts whenever Jisoo and Jennie were together for long periods of time. The two seemed so perfect for each other by strangers as well. People would always comment on how cute they were together and every single time that happened, Lisa would get quieter.

Lisa looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.

 _Pathetic. That’s what you are, you jealous wreck._ One half of her brain said.

 _You have every right to be. Jennie’s essentially cheating on you._ The other responded.

She gave a loud groan of exasperation as she rubbed both temples.

Lisa gently turned the faucet. Little droplets of water trickled rhythmically from it. She slid her pointer finger under, feeling the cold of the water against the warm of her skin. If she were to describe her relationship as of present, she would associate it with the flow of water. Sometimes it would be forceful and substantial, able to obliviate all obstacles that dare to block it. Other times, it would be feeble and insignificant, incapable of cleaning the smallest of wounds left from Lisa and Jennie’s damaging arguments.

She thought back to when she had first met Jennie. 

* * *

That day, she had just been at home, binge-watching anime and eating ramen. She hadn’t gone anywhere the entire week, and hadn’t talked to anyone at all… with Jisoo being an exception. Jisoo had called her earlier, asking, “Hey have you gotten any sunlight this week? Well, I’m feeling merciful today. Why don’t you join Dalgom and I at the park this evening? I’ll text you the details if you wanna come, but I gotta go right now. Ppoong!” Lisa had gladly accepted her invitation, she loved Dalgomie to bits.

It was 6:00 pm and Lisa patiently waited at the park where she and Jisoo had rendezvoused. She looked around her. Everything had changed so much. She used to come here a lot when she had just moved from Thailand to Seoul. Lisa didn’t know many people back then, so she just came here to relax and collect her thoughts. It was a comforting place to her, at the very least. Lisa hadn’t been to the park for an interminable amount of time since she had other places to hang out now, with actual friends.

She put her hands in the pockets of her jeans, shivering in the chilly breezes of autumn. The willowing trees of the park were now beginning to change color, a display of various shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown. Lisa marveled their beauty.

“Ah! Lisa!”

Lisa turned around at the call of her name.

Jisoo was sprinting at toward Lisa with Dalgomie at her side. She looked around Jisoo. She could swear there was someone else running just on her heels.

Jisoo made it to her in a matter of seconds, panting and certainly out of breath. She put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder to support herself.

“Are you okay, Jisoo? You look a little tired.” Lisa teased. Dalgom barked threateningly at Lisa.

Jisoo glared up at her. “Whatever. Tonight isn’t about me anyway.”

Lisa gave her a puzzled look and Jisoo pointed to someone who was dashing up to them. Lisa froze in her tracks.

It was a girl, a little shorter than Lisa, with long dark hair and piercing black eyes, wearing leggings and a hoodie. She was beautiful, her body could be compared to a model’s and there would be no difference. There was an aura of confidence exuding from her, and Lisa immediately felt intimidated.

“Jisoo!” she waved.

“Jennie, hello!” Jisoo smiled and gestured to Lisa, “This is Lisa.”

Her face dropped. “Oh… I thought it was just us.” She quickly looked over at Lisa and smiled, “N—not that I mean anything by that! It’s nice to meet you!”

Lisa beamed at her, “Same here.”

“I brought both of you here,” Jisoo paused, “So that we could all be friends?” She said hopefully. “I realized that you guys were pretty lonely, always in seclusion, staying at home and all. Thus, I wanted to do something about that because I was getting a little worried about the situation.” Jisoo twiddled her thumbs. “What do you say? You guys up for it?”

Lisa realized the circumstances right as she saw Jennie. What Jisoo really meant by ‘friends’ was ‘potential lovers’. The girl was playing matchmaker on them. Not that she was complaining. She’d love to have Jennie for a girlfriend.

“I’m down for that,” Lisa grinned.

Jennie smiled warily, “Yeah… sure.”

* * *

The door of the bathroom loudly opened, shocking Lisa out of her recollection. It just happened to be another customer. Lisa calmed her nerves. She turned off the faucet that was still dripping water and examined herself for the last time in the mirror.

 _We’ll be fine, our relationship. I’ll be fine. I don’t want to worry._ Her heart assured her.

 _Will we really be okay, though? It’s almost impossible not to worry._ Her brain countered.

“I have to be fine. I love Jennie and she loves me.” Lisa cringed at how desperate she sounded.

She made her way to the door but suddenly stopped.

She smiled to herself. “I _will_ be fine.”

Lisa took a deep breath.

“I can be a little selfish too.”


	7. Love Me Not

Chaeyoung’s phone beeped, awakening her from a deep slumber. She stared at her neon lockscreen and saw that Taehyung had texted her.

_CGV: G’morning, chaeng!!!_

_RosiePasta: Oh hi tae_

_CGV: Hows ur day so far?_

_RosiePasta: um I just woke up…_

_CGV: Oh! Did I wake you up? Sorryyyyy_

_RosiePasta: No it’s fine XD_

_CGV: so I wanted to talk_

_RosiePasta: what about lol_

_CGV: idek_

_RosiePasta: Okie dokie then I gtg_

_CGV: WAIT NO, NOT YET!_

_RosiePasta: yes?_

_CGV: I was gonna ask_

_RosiePasta: ?_

_CGV: if you would like to go on a date with me tonight_

_RosiePasta: …_

_CGV: If you don’t want to it’s okay! I wouldn’t want to force myself on you!_

_RosiePasta: No! It’s not that at all! I would love to go._

_CGV: Oh God, I was worried I screwed something up for a second there. Great, just send me your address and I’ll come pick you up at 8:00 pm._

_RosiePasta: where are we going?_

_CGV: it’s a surprise! ;)_

* * *

 You could definitely say that Chaeyoung’s day was… uneventful. She was so excited about her date and didn’t want to exhaust herself beforehand. Hence, the reason she stayed locked up in her apartment the hours prior to 8:00 pm.

Well, another reason was that she never actually had a real boyfriend and had never been in a relationship before. It wasn’t because of her that this was the case, but instead her father. He had thought boys/men were a distraction and he didn’t need that for his future beneficiary. Her father had been strict on that rule. For example, she went to an all-girls school and was not allowed to come home any later than 6:00 pm, a result of his paranoia of her having any external relationship with a male other than him.

* * *

8:00 pm finally came rolling around after what seemed to be an eternity.

She opened the balcony of her apartment and was welcomed with scorching hot weather and a still very bright sky. She turned to look back at her apartment. There were still suitcases and unpacked carry-ons cluttered in the corner of the room. Heaps of empty ramen cups lay on the living room table, parallel to the mess of mangas and novels that she had been reading from.

Chaeyoung cut herself some slack. Her first few days in Seoul had been pretty hectic and she was still trying to get used to it; therefore, she hadn’t been able to unpack. She didn’t think she’d have time to spare today either because of her date with Taehyung. He wasn’t to blame though. Chaeyoung would happily go anywhere with him then to be stuck in her… cozy… apartment.

 She entered the bedroom, with the bed still not made, and headed to her closet. Few clothing items were inside, but she would have to make do because she couldn’t bear the thought of having to go through the hassle of unloading and emptying.

Chaeyoung chose a baby blue sundress paired with some sandals because she was not dealing with the weather and Mother Nature today.

She was halfway to the exit of her apartment already when she turned around.

 _Yep, it’s still messy._  

She sighed.

Chaeyoung left her apartment on the 11th floor and entered the elevator. She pressed the button for the lobby and waited. Butterflies rested in the pit of her stomach, never seeming to escape.  She shakily breathed in and out, almost as if something was clogging her throat. Seconds ticked by slowly, _too_ slowly. She was anxious. Is it okay to date someone you’ve just met? Even if they’re the epitome of perfection, a piece of art itself? She tried calming herself down. Chaeyoung didn’t want to mess this up. Taehyung looked like a really nice guy, inside and out.

The first date is always important, no screw-ups are allowed.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She stepped outside and was greeted by the doorman serving at the hour. Chaeyoung looked around. No sign of Taehyung yet. She checked her phone again. Yes, he told her he’d be here by now. Uneasiness began creeping into her and she looked at her texts with Taehyung. Was it too good to be true?

 Someone tapped her shoulder.

Chaeyoung yelped and turned around, afraid she was going to get dragged out by an ax murderer and be chopped up into pieces.

But it was Taehyung, in all his glory, wearing a cute green button-up with trousers and his signature Harry Potter glasses on his nose. He was holding flowers, or more specifically red roses, delivered with a big grin. 

“Good evening, m’lady.” Taehyung sniffed the flowers, still holding eye contact with her, and handed them to Chaeyoung. 

Chaeyoung softly smiled and accepted the roses gladly. “Why thank you, my good sir.” 

Taehyung beamed and offered her his arm. “May I?”

“You may,” Chaeyoung giggled and took his arm in hers.

The doorman smiled and opened the doors for them.

* * *

“Where are we going?” Chaeyoung curiously asked.

 Taehyung took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it on hers. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you,” He joked, “And I told you… it’s a surprise.”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes, “Well then, you are definitely a man of your word.” 

Stopped at a red light, Taehyung reached for something in the back and grabbed a black handkerchief. He gave it to Chaeyoung. 

“Tie it over your eyes, please,” Chaeyoung gasped and looked horrified at that. 

“This isn’t some _Fifty Shades of Grey_ thing, chill,” he laughed.

* * *

Since Taehyung had told her not to look outside, Chaeyoung was _itching_ to see where he had brought her. She was often told that wherever the person picks their first date, it would be a reflection of their personality and their future plans in the relationship. She was hoping for this date to show whether Taehyung was committed or not.

“Hey, you ready?”

She knowingly nodded at the sound of where his voice was coming from.

Taehyung gently untied the blindfold secured at the back of Chaeyoung’s head. The darkness that had taken over her vision was replaced with the beauty and brightness of a park. 

She was awestruck.  

The environment around her was filled with vivid colors. The green of the grass and trees, the pink and purple of the flowers, and the contrasting dark cobalt of the lake with the soft blue of the sky above. The sun was especially luminous today, filling up even the dimmest of nooks and crannies with a glowing radiance. The sunlight was warm and soothing on her skin. Birds were chirping and singing an alluring song that Chaeyoung couldn’t help but hum along with. The air was scented with the fragrance of lilies and other flowers.

Taehyung came up behind her and she could feel his breath on her neck.

“What do you think?” He whispers, lightly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “It’s marvelous, isn’t it?”

Chaeyoung’s mouth was still shaped in a wide open _O._ She realized and quickly closed it, coughing at how dry it was, and roughly swallowed. 

“I come here often to take photos of the scenery and the animals. It’s so peaceful and serene because no one’s here. It’s like my little secret enchanted garden.”

“Why did you take me here?” Chaeyoung turned around and looked into his brown chocolate eyes.

“Because I wanted to share something that was special to me with you,” He put his hands in his pockets,

“And it also seemed pretty romantic for a first date,” Taehyung admitted. “Do I get extra points for honesty?”

Chaeyoung scoffed, “We’ll have to see…” She stroked her chin.

He laughed, “This isn’t all I have to offer,” Taehyung stretched out his hand and she took it. There was a woven picnic basket in his other hand.

Taehyung led her to an area close to the lake, where a picnic blanket had already been laid out.

“Let me guess… this is a picnic date.”

Taehyung pretended to gasp, “Wow! Right on!” He let go of her hand, “You can just sit here or walk around for a moment, I have to go get something.”

“Uh, sure.”

Taehyung went further into the little park and Chaeyoung was there left alone. She wandered the perimeter of the blanket and spotted lovely flowers on a big green bush. She went in to go and pick one. The flowers were small and two-toned, with a red middle that gradually faded into a soft pink as it reached the edge of each petal. Chaeyoung picked a plump one with delicate petals and went back to the blanket and sat down.

She inspected the flower. _It isn’t an oxeye daisy, but it’ll have to do._

Chaeyoung plucked one petal off.

“He loves me not,” she muttered.

Another petal. “He loves me.”

An additional one. “He loves me not.”

The petal floated to the ground. “He loves me.”

This one picked up wind and flew far away. “He loves me not.”

She ran out of petals. Chaeyoung frowned and furrowed her brows.

 _Really?_ She thought.

“Did you pick some flowers? Can I see?” Chaeyoung looked up. Taehyung was cradling a bunch of rocks in his arms.

Chaeyoung showed him the stem and a petal. “Oh, this is a _hibiscus syriacus,_ or more commonly known as the Rose of Sharon. It’s the national flower here,” Taehyung gave her a little smile, “What were you doing with it? Why’s it taken apart and in pieces?” 

Chaeyoung looked wide-eyed at her creation, “Oh, it’s nothing. I just got bored waiting for you.”

“Well, you won’t be bored now,” Taehyung gestured toward the rocks and the lake. “Have you ever skipped rocks before?”

She scoffed, “Of course, I have. I used to… with my father.” She almost whispered the last part.

He noticed the change in mood but wanted to brighten it,  “Okay, get up. We don’t have all day!”

Chaeyoung laughed at his sudden remark and quickly got up from the comfortable blanket. He took her hand and led her to the lake where he had already gathered rocks.

“You remember how to throw it?” He looked over.

She sighed and tossed her rock up in the air, “I guess we’re about to find out.” Taehyung caught her rock mid-air. 

* * *

The bright sunny sky of 2 hours ago had become a dark, threatening mass with only the moon and stars emitting rays of light. It was so dark that Chaeyoung could barely make out the shape of Taehyung.

“Tae, the night’s taken over. I can’t see anything.” She said obviously.

“Well, I was thinking the same thing, but I thought it would be rude to end the date myself. I’m glad you mentioned it though. I cannot see anything past a foot ahead of me. This fog’s not helping either.” Taehyung swatted away at the fog that had collected at the shore of the lake. It did nothing to help and the fog just recollected where he had made an opening. 

“Careful. It’s slippery,” he warned.

“Gosh, don’t worry so much about me someti-AH!” She slipped on the rocks where a hole was and thought she was going to die for a second. But strong arms wrapped around her figure and hoisted her up.  

Chaeyoung was face to face with Taehyung. She sensed his hot breath on her and she could swear that he glanced at her lips.  

They were both thinking the same thing. 

In the deafening silence of the night, Taehyung slowly leaned in and captured Chaeyoung’s lips in an innocent kiss that seemed to last forever. No one could be as gentle as Taehyung, because this kiss felt like her very first. His arms remained at her waist, unmoving and not wanting to explore. He just kept the kissing to her lips; using his lips only. He didn’t try to do anything, didn’t try to push past any limits. It was sweet, Chaeyoung admitted, but she was getting uninterested.

She pulled away, to catch her breath, and wanted to swoop back in for more, but the moment already seemed to be over for Taehyung.

“Um… we should get going.”

“Yeah,” Chaeyoung said unsatisfied.

* * *

Taehyung’s car made its way to Chaeyoung’s apartment complex. The car screeched to a stop right in front of the doors.

“Here we are, Chaeng.” Taehyung reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt for her.

“I can do it, thanks,” Chaeyoung unbuckled it herself and was about to exit the car when Taehyung placed his hand on her arm. 

“Wait… I just wanted to say that I personally enjoyed this date and that I hope we have many more in the future.”

Chaeyoung held in a laugh at his… chivalry. “Uh, t-totally.”

He mistook her stammering as shyness. “I really like you, Chaeyoung, and I hope the feeling’s mutual. I-” The beginning of Taehyung’s declaration was interrupted by a phone call from Chaeyoung’s side. She’s a little thankful that someone decided to call her this late in the evening.

“Sorry Taehyung, I have to take this.” She got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Chaeyoung gave a small wave to him as she proceeded to see who had called her.

“Oh, well… goodnight Chaeyoung.” Taehyung awkwardly said as he drove off.

She didn’t notice what he had said and pulled out her phone. It was an unknown number and she was wary to pick up.

“Hello? Park Chaeyoung speaking?”

“Well, hello.” Someone spoke in a deep gravelly voice that sounded all too familiar. 

“Father.”

“Yes, darling? How’s Seoul? You enjoying it as much as you’d like? You’ll eventually get sick of it. And when you do, don’t forget you have a whole company you have to lead back here, my little heiress.” He feigned sweetness and care in his words.

“That reminds me,” he paused, “I have a little task for you. See, in the following two weeks, there will be a conference held in Sydney. I fear that I won’t be able to make it, darling.” he clicked his tongue, “I will email the specifics to you later on, but do a favor for your old man? This is an excellent opportunity to impress the higher-ups in the company and set a standard for yourself. Other corporations will be attending as well, and… how do I say this… you’ll be able to examine our competition.” 

“ _Our_ competition? I do not _and_ will not take part in any of this, father.” She spat. 

Her father gave a cry full of anger and exasperation. “You ungrateful punk! I raised you brat as my own flesh and blood, just to have you repay nothing in return to me?” he hissed, “Get out of that overpopulated hell-hole and return effective immediately. You know that deep down you will be back here eventually. Why delay? I always have my way in the end, Chaeyoung. There will be further consequences if you resist.”

When Chaeyoung spoke again, her voice cut like daggers. “Why do you think I left in the first place? I don’t owe you _anything_. Do whatever you want, but I’d rather walk through hell and back before taking over your work and title. I wouldn’t want stoop as low as you did, father.”

As she hung up, she could feel the tears starting to form. She didn’t bother wiping them away, letting them fall as she hurried into the building and toward the elevator.


	8. Lonely

The events of the day before had clouded over Lisa’s mind to such a degree that she could think of nothing else except the feelings she had gone through. Her mind was dwelling in the past as her present self senselessly went on doing menial tasks that she was embarrassed to say were part of her daily routine. While completing errands, her consciousness brought her back to one particular emotion that she despised the most: jealousy. Lisa had not sensed it in years and had forgotten what it felt like to endure it. Jealousy, she assumed, was used in her case as an umbrella term for all the emotions she had been undergoing: insecurity, possessiveness, selfishness, and shame. How could one be capable of feeling all of this? She has no clue, but she knew that she was an exception to that one question. Lisa was insecure about how others viewed her relationship with Jennie; possessive of how Jisoo acted with Jennie; selfish of how she wanted Jennie all to herself and no one else; shame, because of how she was thinking and physically acting out her emotions.

She was lonely.

Not in a corporeal manner, but Lisa felt empty. It seemed like she wasn’t whole. A part of her was missing, and she couldn’t find it no matter how much she searched. It was an open wound, exposing herself to the world or a gap in her  façade of a usually happy and mentally sound individual. The worst part about this all was that this wasn’t her first encounter with these thoughts either.

* * *

_ Lisa handed her mother her seventh-grade final report card. A nervous sweat had made its way down the side of her face. Her heart was racing, her hands were seemingly unable to be kept still, as her mother took out of the envelope a piece of paper that would decide whether she would be punished or not. She pulled at random strands of her hair and took small breaths to try and calm herself. Her sister was standing behind her mother, arms behind her back, awaiting her mother’s reaction. _

_ Her mother inspected the grades. The look of indifference she had been wearing on her face immediately transformed into a grim one, and she scrunched her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth slowly shaped into a frown. _

_ "What is this?” Her mother ran her tongue across her teeth and looked at Lisa expectantly.  _

_ "How did you manage to do this bad, you ignoramus?” she gripped the paper. _

_ Lisa knew it was coming. Why hadn’t she anticipated this? She was tired, enough was enough.  _

_ “What do you mean? These are my best grades yet! I turned all my B’s into A’s.” she looked her straight in the eye. _

_ Her mother glared at her, “Don’t talk back! They shouldn’t have been B’s in the first place.” her eyes moved back to the grades and she muttered, “A disappointment, that’s what you are. How did I ever think having a second child would be a good idea; I’ve already got a perfect first one.” She glanced at her older child lovingly. _

_ Lisa thickly swallowed and loudly grit her teeth. Regrettably, her mother noticed. _

_ “Hey!” she placed the paper on the counter and got up to directly face Lisa, “Watch your attitude.” _

_ “What attitude?” she mumbled in a low voice. _

_ Her mother grabbed the locks of her hair and she gasped at the sudden pain shooting from her scalp. She brought her face up close and barked, “Don’t think you’re smarter, prideful brat.  _ I _ am your mother and  _ I _ know best. You’re lucky you still live in such conditions and not on the street. I should’ve left you when I had the chance.” They were very close to each other now, so much so that Lisa could count the individual pores on her mother’s worn out features. “Be more like her,” she wagged a finger at Lisa’s sister, who was frighteningly silent and as frozen as a statue. “She never caused any trouble for us and brought happiness to the household. But you… we almost went bankrupt at your birth; anything good you turn into awful. You are a pitiful example of a daughter.” _

_ Lisa’s eyes brimmed with tears; she didn’t have the courage to blink and let them flow out. Instead, she hopefully looked over to her sibling, quietly pleading for assistance. There seemed to exist a glimmer of empathy in her eyes but it was quickly extinguished as she shook her head and went up the stairs, leaving the situation up to Lisa to fix on her own. _

_ “Go to your room,” her mother fumed. “Do not attempt to speak to me.” _

_ She trudged ahead, leaving Lisa behind; a crying mess of unruly hair and weak limbs. She collapsed to the floor, softly sobbing at her own flaws and imperfections. She stayed there for a while but leaving after she remembered her mother’s command. With the fear of another argument occurring, Lisa plodded up the stairs into her shared room with her sister, and slowly turned the doorknob, not wanting to startle her. Her sister regarded her anyway with a distraught look. _

_ “What were you thinking back there? Wait, I forgot, you never actually think.” she placed her hands on her hips, “Do you know how stupid it was to think that mother wouldn’t lash out that way?” _

_ “I have the same question,” Lisa inhaled deeply, “W-what were you thinking? I could’ve gotten hurt badly back there, why didn’t you help?” _

_ Her sister avoided eye contact, “Because,” she looked back, “I wasn’t going to get hurt as well. You’re lucky that I was there, I know she wouldn’t want to do anything of the like in front of me.” she said smugly. _

_ Blood rushed to her head. Lisa was so tense that she thought she might’ve burst a vein. She clenched her fists tightly, “Are you serious?” _

_ “Unfortunately, I am. It’s either kill or be killed.” her sister shrugged nonchalantly. _

* * *

It definitely didn’t help to know her mother was bipolar. During the last months of seventh grade, her mother had been going through her manic phase. She had heightened energy and didn’t need much sleep, but was extra violent, especially toward Lisa. There was no father to aid her, as he had died early on in Lisa’s life. She had to be careful around her and she recalled even having to stay at a distance from her to avoid any conflicts. Her sister didn’t experience the suffering, though. Rather, she received an overwhelming amount of love and care from their mother, which drove Lisa over the edge and made her jealous. Over the years, Lisa drew apart from her family and they separated. She was still in contact with them, of course, but just because she had their contact information that didn’t mean she ever bothered to call or meet up with them.

She awoke from her trance-like state when Jennie called to her from upstairs, “Hey, babe, will you go grab the mail, please?”

“O’course!” she shouted back. She reached for her black snapback across the island (to hopefully not be decimated by the scorching rays of the sun) and exited out the front doors of her house.

The sun shone brightly when she stepped outside, her tall body casting a looming, shadowy figure on the sidewalk. It was hard to look ahead of her, but while squinting her eyes, she was able to make it to their mailbox. There wasn’t much in there except for an envelope that was addressed to her. Lisa examined it curiously as she rushed back inside. When in the safety of her home, she tore the envelope to reveal a paper with neat and stylistic calligraphy on it. After having read through it, the paper was an old-timey letter inviting Lisa to a birthday party thrown by hers truly, Bae Joohyun. The two had met at a local supermarket, shared some small talk, and exchanged numbers, but they didn’t know each other very well. At least that’s what Lisa thought, right until she saw the invitation. She assumed their relationship was a lot closer to acquaintances than actual friends, but apparently, Joohyun thought differently.

The party was set to be at Joohyun’s house this evening and Lisa was damn lucky that she had nothing scheduled for today. She folded away the envelope and the letter and went upstairs to see what Jennie was up to. She opened the door to their bedroom and saw Jennie lying down on their bed, binge-watching  _ Stranger Things  _ on Netflix yet again.

“Babe, how many times have you watched this?” Lisa climbed onto the mattress and cuddled up against Jennie. She linked their arms and hooked their legs together, “And to think, I considered you were actually doing something productive.”

“What?! This is the most productive thing I have ever done and you cannot say otherwise!” she retorted at her accusation.

Lisa quirked an eyebrow, “Yeah… sure, whatever you say.” she clicked her tongue and turned away from Jennie.

Jennie pouted and back hugged her. “You should’ve seen this coming when you asked me to be your girlfriend,” she muttered into her hair. Lisa turned around with a shocked look plastered on her face.

“First of all,” Lisa started, “I didn’t technically ask you; the feeling was mutual. Secondly, I do not tolerate pouting in this household.” Jennie dramatically clutched her chest and gasped.

She slowly exhaled, afraid of her heart exploding at the sheer adorableness that her girlfriend was radiating; she stared in disbelief and bit her lip. Jennie leaned in a little closer and nuzzled the tips of their noses together. Lisa cupped both hands onto Jennie’s face and closed the space between them.

* * *

Lisa woke up with her arm slung around Jennie’s figure in a very uncomfortable position that consisted of the couple’s limbs tangled up into one large mess. Jennie was still sleeping soundly, hair unkempt, and mouth slightly hanging open. She laughed to herself - she wasn’t ever forgetting this image. Lisa tried to unravel herself from her, and it the process she heard some bones cracking. She groaned and her hand instinctively rubbed her spine where the cracking sound originated. The bed creaked as she got off it and entered the bathroom to check on her appearance. She took out her phone to see the time and realized it was about time the party was going to begin. Lisa quietly tip-toed her way back to the bed, approached a sleepy Jennie, and graced her with a light kiss on the forehead. She grabbed a pen and sticky-note and in messy handwriting, scrawled on the little note to Jennie explaining her whereabouts for the night. Lisa stuck the note onto Jennie’s arm, and after she concluded that it was attached, made her way to the door. With one last longing look at her girlfriend, Lisa went out.

* * *

The car drive to Joohyun’s place had Lisa immersed in her thoughts once more. Jennie hadn’t spoken to her the entirety of the day, and the only time she did was to ask Lisa to go get the mail. She even seemed restrained when the two were kissing, almost like she didn’t want it to happen. Lisa didn’t think much of it, though - she was probably just tired.

She stepped on the break of her car when she saw what she assumed was Joohyun’s house - a regal and elegant Victorian-looking abode, which clearly differentiated from the loud and boisterous party that was being thrown inside. She drove into the driveway, scaring many of the already drunk party-goers, and parked right in the middle. Lisa opened her car doors and alighted from the car, only to be welcomed by Joohyun herself, as she embraced Lisa, mumbled a drunken greeting, and led her inside. 

Once inside, the neon lights nearly blinded Lisa, and noisy music blared from the speakers above her head. Rowdy people were in the center - like a makeshift dance floor - and flailed their bodies around in what Lisa guessed they called dancing. The whole atmosphere gave Lisa vertigo. Joohyun was still by her side, though, and she hooked her arm in hers in an attempt not to get lost or trampled by others. But a girl with long hair and short bangs, Lisa supposed it was her girlfriend, pulled her away and Lisa was left alone to the mercy of the tipsy crowd.

Not wanting to be on the dance floor, she made her way to the little bar that Joohyun had set up in the kitchen and got herself a beer. She chugged it and coughed a little at the cheap and terrible taste, but she didn’t care. Whatever could get her drunk would work just fine.  Lisa reached for another one from the mini-fridge but right as she grabbed the amber bottle, another hand struck hers, reaching for the same beer.


	9. Drunken Disputes

Chaeyoung whirled around to catch the culprit who had stolen her beer. She was met with a blur of colors clashed together. Her vision wasn’t exactly focused, so she was blaming it on her eyes that she couldn’t make out who was standing in front of her. Her head was spinning out of control, it was hard for her to even balance herself. If she ever had to blow into a breathalyzer anytime this night, she would definitely be labeled as someone who was ‘wasted’.

The blob standing parallel to her scoffed and snatched the bottle roughly, swishing the beer inside. She must’ve said something, seeing as Chaeyoung noticed her moving her lips, but all she could hear was buzzing. Endless buzzing. The noises around her couldn’t be made out, all of them were muffled and unclear. A low buzz was sounding in both her ears and she could feel the powerful bass from the music of the speakers. _Thump, thump,_ they went as her ribs rattled from the sheer intensity of it all.

Realizing that the drunken girl was not at all listening to her, the blob pushed past Chaeyoung with her shoulder bumping against her. Either on accident or on purpose, Chaeyoung lost balance in her not-so-sober state and fell forward onto the counter, steadying herself on the cold hard marble. Chaeyoung sucked in a ragged breath, ready to reprimand the blob for what she did, but she opened her mouth and no sound had come out. She coughed and coughed at the dry air that had entered her even drier throat. If only she had gotten to the beer faster.

This wasn’t what she thought her night would amount to when Jisoo had called her. Apparently, she had been invited to a party being thrown by Seulgi, one of her other friends. Chaeyoung had no clue who Seulgi was, but she was willing to take Jisoo’s place at the party. Willing to wash away her anguish dealing with her father, willing to forget, willing to let herself go. She’d only had a few drinks tonight and yet she felt completely trashed. Her alcohol tolerance was way below the average, she’d found out.

It could’ve been because she wasn’t used to having consumed this much alcohol. Back home, she was never allowed to go to parties, much less drink. She’d sneak in a few sips of champagne from her father’s mass collection but that was about it for her exciting teenage escapades. The few friends she had met and socialized with at school were frequently out at parties, bars, and whatnot, while she was imprisoned at home, forced to study for any upcoming exams that her father had heard about.

It wasn’t all that bad, though. She had her mother for company. Being an only child had always been hard on Chaeyoung. Her mother had been with her, through thick and thin, supporting her child no matter what happened. She was essentially Chaeyoung’s best friend, who she would always confide to about her troubles. But there were times where she had to side with her husband with issues involving the father and daughter. Quarrels weren’t rare in the household, but rather, it was common to hear yelling and bickering from the two.

Even after she left Australia, the quarrels followed her out, with much more force this time around, now that she was a ‘capable adult’ as her father put it. She just wanted to forget the phone call with her father yesterday, even if it would be temporary. It was better than nothing.

Lifting her head up from the marble counter, she looked to see a pretty face once her vision focused. It was a girl with dark hair. Her large brown eyes were staring directly at Chaeyoung but in a comforting manner. She perched her elbows on the counter with her hands cradling her face. Her lips jutted out just slightly, giving her a pouty look. She was wearing a black dress that hung tightly to her tall figure and a rainbow shawl.

“Hey, honey, are you alright? You look a little out of it,” The rainbow girl purred, bringing her long fingers to run through Chaeyoung’s locks. Chaeyoung mumbled an incoherent response, leaning into the other’s soft touch in her hair. The girl came around the counter from the other side and put herself flush against Chaeyoung, helping to support the tipsy girl.

“Let me help you,” She said, taking one of Chaeyoung’s loose arms and draping it across her shoulders. The girl’s arm that was nearest to Chaeyoung snaked itself around her waist. She pulled the dizzied girl away from the counter, almost like forcing her to lean on the other. Chaeyoung breathed in the other’s scent - she smelled a little like kiwis, citrusy yet sweet.

She stumbled a bit and dropped into the rainbow girl’s warm embrace, to which she said, “Don’t fall onto me, now. Do you want to sit down?” She hobbled and dragged an unrelenting Chaeyoung to a couch near the bar; not an easy task, due to the fact that Chaeyoung seemed to cling to the poor rainbow for dear life.

Finally getting to the couch without falling in the process, Chaeyoung flopped onto it, sinking her body into the soft bounded cloth. “Honey, I don’t think that’s clean nor sanitary,” Rainbow girl sat next to her, “Would you want me to support you, instead?”

Chaeyoung gladly accepted the offer and hauled herself up to place her head on the other’s shoulder. The latter let out a lighthearted laugh, making Chaeyoung smile - it sounded like music to her numb ears.

She buried her face in the rainbow girl’s hair, inhaling her sweet scent and sighing in contentment at how comfortable she was. Chaeyoung angled herself to where her the tip of her nose was tickling the other’s neck. She closed her eyes and smiled a crazy, drunken grin.

Rainbow girl stiffened at the close contact that Chaeyoung had closed between them, stretching out and pulling herself slightly away from the other girl. She loudly cleared her throat, sitting up straighter on the couch.

“Uh, huh, a cuddler, aren’t you?” She awkwardly patted Chaeyoung’s ruffled and disheveled hair and the latter dropped her grin immediately.

“Is there something wrong, Miss Rainbow?” Chaeyoung chortled, her gruff voice surprising herself. She placed both of her hands on rainbow girl’s shawl-covered shoulders, holding her in place. “Is there something wrong?” She repeated, only louder this time. Her half-lidded eyes slowly widened.

The older girl swallowed roughly, “You’re really drunk, honey, are you sure you would want to stay here?”

Chaeyoung nodded, her head bobbing up and down clumsily. “ ‘m fiiiiine,” she slurred, her grip on the girl loosening a bit.

Rainbow girl pried Chaeyoung’s hands from her shoulders, placing them back on the intoxicated girl’s lap. “I really don’t think you’re fine,” she backed away slowly, “Did you come with anyone else tonight? Maybe you could tell me their number and I could ask them to take you back home. For your sake.”

“I didn’t c-come with anyone,” Chaeyoung took a deep breath, “But would you like to come home with me instead? For my sake, of course.” She grinned cheekily at the flustered girl, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Miss, I really should go now,” She stood up hastily, her shawl flowing about from the sudden movement. Chaeyoung took note of the word change from ‘honey’ to ‘miss.’ She smiled to herself - the rainbow wasn’t getting away that easily.

Chaeyoung stood up as well, nausea knocking her and her eyesight blurring. Her posture wavered, falling forward a little bit, right into the other girl. Her forehead hit the other’s chest area, her arms wrapped around her neck, and feet planted on the floor. The rainbow girl flinched from the drunk's bold actions, yelping in surprise.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” screeched an unfamiliar voice from behind Chaeyoung.

She jumped from the interruption, quickly letting go of her poor victim. Her eyes opened up completely, and she blinked once. Twice. She felt a cold hand on her pale, bare arm that jerked her backward, fingernails scraping some skin. If a little more pressure had been applied, Chaeyoung was certain that it would’ve drawn blood.

“Yah, do you hear me?!” The cold hand on her arm forced her to turn around and face the owner of the screechy, high-pitched voice, that definitely sounded annoyed and pissed off. Chaeyoung willed her eyes to focus and they did, showing her a clear sight of the smaller girl, with long, almost black hair that fell down her shoulders. She was a few inches shorter than the other, but the expression she had donned on her face was a little scary, with scrunched up brows and a curved down lip, she looked ready to punt Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung was taken aback at the harsh words thrown at her. She bit the inside of her lip, unsure of what to do next in this situation. “Are you too wasted to even hear me? What were you doing? Sooyoung’s taken, you know? And by me!”

Rainbow girl, Sooyoung, looked at the angry girl with terrified eyes. “Babe, it was nothing. It was my fault, actually-” The other girl stopped Sooyoung immediately by glaring at her coldly.

“From what it looks like, I am sure I know whose fault this is.” She switched her glare to look pointedly at Chaeyoung.

“Why are you acting up anyway? We weren’t even doing anything,” Sooyoung pointed at the nauseated girl beside her, “She wasn’t doing anything! Nothing, Yerim!”

The Yerim girl scoffed at Sooyoung’s explanation and turned to Chaeyoung. “You,” She looked Chaeyoung up and down, “You haven’t said anything, yet. Care to explain?”

Chaeyoung laughed to herself - the small girl had her hands up to her hips and squared her shoulders up. To look intimidating maybe? In any case, she thought she might as well have more fun before things went downhill for her. Chaeyoung smirked, “Well, what would you like to hear,” She walked up closer to the girl, “You seem a little tense…” Placing both her hands on the biceps of the other, she began to massage her. “Relax yourself, calm down,” Chaeyoung beamed at the furious girl.

“Get your dirty hands off of me!” Yerim fumed, yanking both hands of her individually and throwing them back at Chaeyoung. She staggered back, hoping to gain back balance from Yerim’s forceful push. Bumping right into Sooyoung, the rainbow girl recoiled from any further physical contact, opting to go stand next to Yerim (her girlfriend, maybe?) instead.

Sooyoung wrapped an arm around Yerim, who seemed to be menacingly approaching Chaeyoung, who was still trying to steady herself. “Babe, stop, please,” Sooyoung cooed, “Chill out.”

Yerim sneered, “No, you stop. You’ve done enough.” She grabbed the nearest red solo cup from the counter that she made sure was filled with some sort of liquid and doused it on Chaeyoung. The fruity vodka soaked Chaeyoung’s white off-shoulder, the red drink spreading about her chest like a wildfire.

“You should know how to stay out of other people’s business,” Yerim cackled at an appalled Chaeyoung, who regained her composure from the coldness of the liquid.

Chaeyoung scowled at her, “What the hell?” She slowly neared Yerim threateningly, her displeasure apparent.

The other girl continued to laugh, not noticing an enraged Chaeyoung coming even closer to her, “So you can speak like a normal person! You’ve learned your lesson, now. Don’t even _look_ at  Sooyoung with your perverted eyes.”

Sooyoung, still standing shell-shocked at what just happened, faced the laughing girl, “Yerimie,” she warned quietly. She pulled her back protectively.

“Agh, what is it?” Yerim complained to her companion.

“This,” Chaeyoung answered instead. She raised her hand up, ready to deliver a hard smack to wipe the dumb smile off of the smaller girl’s face. Sooyoung suddenly charged in front of the smaller girl, grabbing Chaeyoung’s hand from further coming in contact with Yerim. The timid look on the girl’s face completely did a one-eighty as her eyes bored into Chaeyoung. Yerim, who finally came to the realization of what was happening, stopped laughing immediately. She glanced at Sooyoung with a look of admiration, as if she were silently goading her girlfriend to do more to Chaeyoung.

When Sooyoung just stood still, with Chaeyoung’s arm in hand, Yerim huffed and pushed the girl in front of her aside, disconnecting their hold. The smaller girl cocked her head to the side, squinting her eyes at Chaeyoung like she was deciding what to do next to the drunk girl. She smiled softly, before charging her own hand up at Chaeyoung and giving her a head-turning slap across her cheeks.

Sooyoung gasped in shock, grasping for Yerim who had just smacked Chaeyoung, trying to not make an even bigger scene. Everyone in the party turned their attention to them, as the music for this certain song had been a softer one, so they could hear most of what was going on. It also didn’t help that Yerim was friends with mostly everyone in the house, making it everyone else’s business as well. The partygoers were murmuring to themselves and pointing to the girls who had caused the scene, probably trying to piece the scenario in their alcohol-infused heads. They didn’t dare to enter the situation, in fear of being the target of Yerim’s fiery wrath.

Chaeyoung, who had obviously lost balance yet again this night, fell backward. Her head hit the wood of one of the bar stools near the counter, ensuring a big purple bruise to form on the back of her head when morning came. Her vision blanked white, her eyes blinking wildly but to no avail, focusing. A searing pain shot to her head and she could feel her something throbbing at the affected area. Her eyes gave up and rolled to the back of her head, but not without letting out a hiss of pain through her tightly gritted teeth. She lost consciousness, whether it be from the number of drinks she had consumed or from the impact of the stool, though expecting to drop onto the cold floor of the house, she instead fell onto something warmer, softer even.

Before completely wiping out, Chaeyoung got one look her cushion, and even if she were drunk and on the verge of passing out, she would recognize that face anywhere.

That face and its matching black snapback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...it's been a while. Sorry for such a late update, I had complete writers' block (only for this fic). I knew what to write and what was going to happen next, but I just didn't seem to the motivation nor incentive to be able to actually type it. I'm hoping this doesn't happen again, though. I think that I know where this fic is going but we'll have to see if it works out in the end haha. Hope you enjoyed this (crappy) chapter, I guess :)


	10. Assistance

Lisa’s time at the party had been uninteresting so far. All she had really done was chug a lot of alcohol, socialize (only a bit), and join the mass of people in the middle dancing. But she at least was having some sort of fun, if only a little.

Walking back to the bar for another drink, Lisa saw that a circle had formed, consisting of three people of whom Lisa was pretty sure she had never seen nor known before. She didn’t let that stop her though, as seeing that her throat was parched and that was what she was going to be dealt with first. She stepped ahead, trying not to stare at whatever confrontation was going on between the women, and the moment she started to move, she heard the partygoers surrounding her vicinity gasp and a loud smack echo. Following the smack came a crash, and after that Lisa didn’t even comprehend what happened, as she was on the floor with another human being on top of her.

A crowd of people rushed forward to where Lisa and the girl were, struggling to get a sight of what had happened. They smothered around the two, not caring of the unconscious girl but instead of bombarding them with questions. Lisa covered the other girl, pushing her hands in front of the rowdy crowd that she understood probably had no control over their actions (almost everyone had raided the bar before she came.) She yelled at the others, wishing for some space and not answering their questions, as she didn’t know what was going on either.

After almost losing her voice in the crowd, the people suddenly parted when they saw who was approaching the scene. Lisa didn’t notice it at first but quickly did when everything around her silenced to only whispers. She looked up to see Joohyun walking toward her with a curious look on her face.

“What happened here?” Lisa expected Joohyun to yell at her, everyone having made it look like she was the cause of it, but her tone of voice was definitely softer than she had initially expected.

Lisa scratched the back of her neck, “To be honest, I don’t really know,” she laughed nervously.

“Well, I do!” someone exclaimed from behind. Lisa’s head snapped back to where the person was, as did everyone else’s. A short girl stood with a smug look, arms crossed and all, ready to give a speech.

“That bitch right there,” She started, pointing to the passed out girl with her chin, “is the problem.”

A taller girl next to her lightly nudged her with her elbow, “Aish, Yerimie.”

“What?!” said ‘Yerimie,’ uncrossing her arms and putting her hands on her hips, “You know it’s true-”

“Well, I _don’t_ know so, would someone like to enlighten me on this situation?” Joohyun interjected with a harsher voice, “Yerim? How about you?”

Yerim pouted, “Why me, why not that bitc-”

“Because you seem to want to keep talking, so why not let you continue? Therefore, I will learn what happened and we can all resume to what we have been doing before! Simple.” Joohyun clapped her hands, “Everyone, you can go back partying or drinking or whatever you all were doing! Sorry for the interruption.”

The crowd murmured in agreement and went back to what they were doing previously, had it been dancing, drinking, or making out. Except for Joohyun, who had planted herself to where she was, awaiting any form of explanation.

Joohyun took a deep breath after an awkward silence had engulfed the girls, none of them willing to talk. “Okay, no one? Fine then - Lisa get off the floor at least, you don’t know how many times I’ve had to mop it from vomit and dirt.”

Lisa practically jolted from her current position, dragging up the other girl with her as well. “Y-yeah, definitely,” She patted her pants and the back of her shirt to make sure no soot had gotten on them. Wrapping the girl’s arm around her, Lisa offered support.

“Oh, Lisa, huh? I’ve seen you talking to Hyun and Seul a bit, finally nice to know your name,” Yerim said sarcastically. Lisa flinched at the syllables of her name being spoken again, quickly looking over in the other girl’s direction. Yerim shot her a look, and not a pleasant one to say the least.

Joohyun cleared her throat loudly, enough to make everyone in the situation look at her. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when a pair of hands snaked around her waist, startling the small girl.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Seulgi announced her presence. She glanced at Joohyun with puzzlement, her eyebrows scrunching up and a frown forming on her lips, “Is there something wrong here?” Seulgi placed her chin on the other’s shoulder.

The irritated expression that Joohyun had been sporting earlier completely softened from Seulgi’s words. She turned around and whispered in her concerned girlfriend’s ear, “It’s nothing, Seul.”

Her sudden change did not go unnoticed by the others though, as Yerim conspicuously coughed and muttered at the same time, “Whipped.”

Yerim earned a glare from Joohyun, “Yah, I’ve had enough of you tonight!” She motioned for the younger girl to come forward and she timidly did. Joohyun did the same for the taller girl beside Yerim.

“We’re gonna have a nice talk now,” She looked at the two, “Shall we?” she gestured, walking ahead. The younger ones groaned and Seulgi snickered at them, “They had it coming,” she remarked.

Seulgi turned to Lisa, “So, do you actually know what happened?”

Lisa shook her head and the other girl sighed, “I think we’ll find out sooner or later, I guess. Right now, you can take her to mine and Hyun’s bedroom because she’s completely wiped out.”

For a moment, Lisa was confused about who Seulgi was addressing but quickly remembered the girl who was, at the moment, hanging loosely around Lisa. She realized she never even got a good look at the girl, for her long hair had been covering most of her face. Lisa brushed aside the locks to see the other. She absorbed the girl’s features, racking her brain on why she looked so familiar. It was just something, something about her that made Lisa uneasy.

Seulgi waved her hand in front of Lisa, who had been caught staring, “Earth to Lisa? You still with me?”

Lisa blinked, “Uh, y-yes.”

“You okay with taking her up?”

* * *

Lisa reluctantly hauled the other girl up the stairs of the first floor and up to the bedroom. She practically dragged her, as she couldn’t really pick her up. They wobbled up the steps, with Lisa stopping to lean against the wall when they finally made it up. She panted and took deep breaths.

 _Of course, the staircase has a million steps,_ Lisa thought.

After what seemed like an eternity spent in hell repaying for her misdeeds, Lisa and the girl made it to the doorway of the bedroom. There, Lisa let go of her and jiggled the knob to open the door. The other girl, who had been steadied by the wall, slowly slid down until she hit the floor with a loud thud.

Lisa sighed and picked the girl from the floor and dragged her into the bedroom, only pulling her when her current method of slightly pushing the girl was not working. Once they got to the foot of the bed, Lisa heaved the girl over her shoulder and slung her onto the bed, the other falling into place like a rag doll.

Looking around the bedroom, Lisa realized that it was humongous. Not only did size captivate her, but the decor as well. It was surprisingly modern compared to the rest of the house like Joohyun only meant to renovate the bedroom instead of the whole house.

She trudged over to where she had put the other girl down, carefully extracting her shoes to not muddy the bed sheets. The girl groaned in obvious discomfort and turned over to lay on her stomach. Lisa chuckled at her antics and grabbed both of her legs, twisting them and forcing the girl to flip back to her original position on her back.

Lisa didn’t want the girl to suffocate… she at least had the decency to do that.

Grabbing the blankets from the end of the bed, Lisa draped it across the sleepy girl’s form, the warmth immediately seeming to spread to her as she clutched it tightly to her chest when it got to there. She wriggled a little bit under the covering, but other than that, the girl looked like she was thankful for the blanket.

Lisa approached the girl apprehensively, her conscience still telling her to back away from the discomfort that the girl stirred up inside her. She pushed such thoughts aside though, as she concluded that making sure the girl was well situated was her first priority right now.

The other girl’s breathing evened, her ragged breaths becoming uniform as sleep probably overtook her. Lisa took it as a green light to fully step forward to the bedside and check on the girl.

She suddenly started to gasp out for air, like no oxygen had been entering her lungs. She squirmed in the bed, kicking the sheets and shaking badly. Tears began to fall down her pale cheeks, dripping and dropping like a leaky tap. Lisa stood still, unsure of what to do or how to help the other.

Her gasps formed into incoherent mutters and soon after, those formed into a few words that Lisa could barely catch but thankfully, due to the stillness of the bedroom could. She leaned in closer to the girl, trying to put together what exactly she was murmuring about.

What Lisa didn’t expect the girl to do was cling onto the sleeve of her cardigan and pull her even closer than what she had originally intended. Her stray tears dripped onto the fabric and strangled breaths were heard as she tried to say something to Lisa.

“F-father,” she gritted her teeth and gripped Lisa’s arm harder, “I-I can’t… I’m sorry.” Her breathing had become even more labored as she spat out her words, “P-please forgive me, I can’t.” Lisa’s eyes widened as her mind contemplated what to do next, her thoughts running in and out in disarray.

When her hold on Lisa softened slightly, Lisa took it as a chance to completely pry her arm away from the girl, bringing it to her side. She brought her arm up and caressed the sore skin on which the girl had made red hand marks.

* * *

  _“Lisa,” Seulgi started, “Do me a favor and please stay with the girl for the night. Don’t think I didn’t notice your stiffness with her when I asked you the first time. I can sense the tension in between you and her from a mile away, and people call me dense, so that’s really saying something.”_

_Lisa furrowed her brows, “I don’t know, I get the feeling that I know her from somewhere, and I’m positive that I do, but that feeling isn’t very pleasant.”_

_Seulgi bit her lip in hesitation, “I don’t want to ask you to do something that you’re not comfortable with, Lisa. Hell, I wouldn’t even ask you in the first place to do this. But you need to realize that I’m pretty sure this girl came alone, and that’d be cruel of us hosts to just leave her there with no one, on the floor and all. I don’t want to come off like that, you know? Neither does Hyun.”_

_“I… I get it,” Lisa took a deep breath, “Yeah, I’ll do it.”_

_“Wait, really?” Seulgi beamed at her, “Thank you! I… actually don’t know what to say, I’m just really grateful. You do understand, though, right? I don’t want to sound like a terrible party host if there’s just some random unconscious girl on the floor. Also, who knows, that girl could have connections…”_

_Lisa tuned out after Seulgi had thanked her and resumed to inspect the girl who had started all of this. Who was she? Why was she here? Did she really come alone? So many questions popped into her brain and she couldn’t quite process all of them._

_She looks at her again and frowns. She’s hit with a feeling of anger, hate, and all of that combined. She suddenly feels guilty, though, as she isn’t even sure she knows her. But some part of her does and she’s willing to let it take over her._

* * *

 Lisa thumbed over the redness of her skin and her eyes glazed over the girl once more, who now seemed to have calmed down and returned to a peaceful sleep. Her shoulders slumped at how weak the girl had looked a few moments before.

She shook her head.

_No, you can’t do this, you know you can’t. Why are you caring so much for someone you don’t even know? She’s practically a stranger, for God’s sake!_

She swallowed hard and turned around, her back facing the girl. Walking forward and toward the door, she doesn’t look back. At first, her steps were small and forced, but they soon progressed to actual strides.

Lisa reached the door and looked at the knob, her hand slowly coming up to turn it.

_But I can’t._

_I can’t just leave her there._

_I don’t know how to._

_I don’t want to._

With a shaking heart, she lowered her hand and balled it up into a fist, amused at how her thoughts could contradict themselves so easily. One minute, they were telling her to go away and the next, she found herself unable to. Maybe it’s not only her mind… that and something _else_ that’s telling her to stay.

She doesn’t let her small trip across the bedroom go to waste, as she flicks off the light switch that is situated next to the door. The world around her flashed black, but as her eyes adapted, she could make out the bare outlines of the things inside the room.

Lisa stumbled back to one of the couches that was near the bed and plopped herself down on it. The couch swallowed her down until it firmed right back up. She had to admit, it _was_ a bigger and much more comfortable sofa than she had originally expected.

She grabbed a spare blanket from the foot of the sofa and wrapped it around herself. She reveled in the warmth it brought her and she snuggled closer in it. She snuck a quick glance at the other girl in the room and wondered if she were comfortable and warm as well. But when she saw her sleeping without tossing around, she thought it was safe to assume that she was.

Pulling the blanket up a little higher across her tall figure, she remembered what the girl had said during her supposed nightmare. What did she mean by her words? Was she addressing her father, if that’s what Lisa heard correctly?

Lisa sighed, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

She fell into a deep sleep soon after that lingering question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi, so here's chapter 10! To everyone who gave kudos to this slow, slow story I appreciate and love you lots! Don't worry, I think I know where this is headed, so something important might actually happen in the next few chapters. Then again, I'm very indecisive so don't take my word for it. I am grateful for your patience at my haphazard and spontaneous updates, I'm very sorry. But keep reading and I hope you'll enjoy where this story will go! Thank you once again :)))


	11. Repercussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, here's Chapter 11. I won't be posting as often because of camp and all that crap that comes along with it. So enjoy a longer chapter as a consolation prize for my absence. I hope to see you guys soon coming back with Chapter 12! Byeeee :)

The first thing Chaeyoung noticed was the bed. She moved about, feeling the soft mattress shift under her, its bedsheets and the comforter on top of her. Even without opening her eyes yet, she knew she was somewhere other than the cold tiled floor she last remembered landing on.

The second thing she noticed was her raging headache. The moment she regained consciousness, the feeling hit her hard and hammered through her skull, not giving her a chance to even reflect back on what had happened the night before. Side effects of drinking profusely, she supposed.

And last but certainly not least, was the noisy and obvious rumble coming from somewhere around Chaeyoung. She turned her body in the direction it was coming from and expectedly, the sound got louder. The sunlight from radiating from the windows near her forced her eyes to pry themselves open. She openly grimaced at how bright the room itself was.

It took multiple blinks for her vision to focus and once it did, she got a sight of the large bedroom that she had been put in. Whoever’s bedroom it was, Chaeyoung was sure they had deep pockets, as everything had been neatly and beautifully decorated, complete with the latest technology.

Her eyes panned over the entire bedroom and it was an inevitable fact that they would eventually land on a lanky girl with long hair and bangs, sleeping soundly on the couch beside her bed. The girl was in quite the uncomfortable position - one of her arms slung over her head while the other dangled off the couch, both legs spread wide open, and her head was hanging precariously over the edge of the couch. If Chaeyoung had it in her to laugh, she would have, but her migraine wasn’t allowing it.

She dryly swallowed, trying to remember and piece together the sequence of events that had made her end up in this bed. There was yelling… flashing lights… and stinging pain near her cheekbones. Chaeyoung ran her hand through her hair, only to have it recoil back when she hissed in pain at the large bump in the back of her head. She must’ve hit something _hard_ for a bruise of that size to grow.

Her memory flickered back to when she was on the ground with someone _below_ her. Then, she was off the floor and laying on someone’s thigh as they looked at her frail form with pitiful eyes. Had… something happened?

Her eyes widened at her theory on as to why she was in bed with some stranger beside her. She did a quick double-take at the girl and back to herself. She was fully clothed… but something could’ve still happened.

Chaeyoung hastily kicked the blankets off of her in a panic. The sound of the sheets crinkling and moving instantaneously woke up the other girl in the room, as she finally fell off the couch with a loud crash. She got to her feet immediately and hesitantly approached Chaeyoung.

“Miss, you’re awake-” she started to say.

Chaeyoung held up a hand in front of her and didn’t meet eye contact with the girl. “Stop… what happened last night?” she said, her voice wavering a bit.

The girl rubbed her eyes and frowned, “Last night? Last night…” It seemed that she didn’t recall much more than Chaeyoung did, seeing her just as confused as she was.

Her face suddenly brightened up and she smirked, “Oh, I remember.”

Chaeyoung furrowed her brows and blocked the girl from finishing what she had to say once more. She took it as the one thing she wished wouldn’t happen to her, did happen. God, she couldn’t even get herself to say what it was. She was raised on morals and virtues, not this sort of drunken bullshit. Chaeyoung held herself in high regard, hoping that she’d at least have some more sense than to succumb to pure desire and lust. She assumed that she thought wrong.

The girl’s expression was a dead giveaway. Her satisfied smirk pissed Chaeyoung off. How someone could be so proud of something as low as this was an enigma in itself. At first, she didn’t remember at all, but then to grin like that - well, she already knew.

She walked up to Chaeyoung, close enough that she was able to lean on the bedpost. Chaeyoung visibly scooted away, much to the other girl’s displeasure. “You were wrecked last night,” she said with a chuckle.

Chaeyoung finally turned to her and tried her best to give the coldest glare she could possibly muster, “Don’t remind me.” It didn’t seem to affect the girl, as she continued smiling like she did nothing wrong. Like possibly violating her wasn’t wrong or immoral.

Just watching the girl beside her made her even angrier, every ticking second of her looking at Chaeyoung seemed like a test of her self-control because she was just _this_ close to smacking the living daylights out of the other.

Another minute of being in this bedroom and Chaeyoung was sure she would eventually snap. She gripped the bedsheets, taking a deep breath. She glanced at the other girl and somehow she was now even _closer_ than she had been before, sitting on the bed and all.

She had enough of whatever games the other girl wanted to play with her, or do to her, and quickly lurched out of bed. She kicked off the blankets covering her cold form and jumped out of bed. Very, very bad idea.

Chaeyoung was hit with another round of her headache, this one head-splitting. Her vision blurred and was replaced with random black spots dancing around her. Her head felt heavier and she almost fell forward. Almost.

The girl who was once sitting on the bed immediately came by her side and supported her, wrapping her arms around Chaeyoung’s waist and hoisting her up. Chaeyoung brought her hands up to her face, wishing the nausea to go away. Instead what hit her was the other’s sweet scent of vanilla. It invaded her senses and she was more than willing to let it. The vanilla wafted away her headache, if only for a second, but it was so sweet that it also happened to calm her nerves.

Chaeyoung looked up and she realized that she was nose-to-nose with the other girl. She had large eyes, hazel, and Chaeyoung could get lost in them. There comes the vanilla hitting her again. But reality always hit harder.

She wriggled out of the girl’s grip and once she was free, she still continued to swat at the girl’s open arms. Some colorful words were heard from both sides as Chaeyoung kept at smacking the girl. Not enough to actually hurt her, but enough for red marks to be left.

“Jesus!” the girl managed to sputter out, “I have enough marks left from you as it is!”

Chaeyoung only shook her head and let those words go into one ear and out the other as she resumed to hitting her. In the midst of doing all of this, she noticed on the table near the couch sat a lone black snapback. She stopped what she was doing and looked straight at it. The victimized girl looked up from covered eyes and took a peek at Chaeyoung.

The black snapback.

Well, of course.

Who else would it be?

Chaeyoung groaned and without a second thought began to leave the room. “Hey, where you going?” the girl shouted. But by now, Chaeyoung wasn’t listening to anything or anyone. She just needed to get out of the room before she did something she would regret.

She opened the door and walked out of the bedroom, not sparing a single look at the confused girl back inside. Once she was out, she was hit by the strong stench of alcohol. She scrunched her nose at the sour smell and went down the staircase breathing through her mouth.

Reaching the first floor, she took a whiff of the air there and it smelled of pancakes and other various baked goods, which deeply contrasted with the previous scent from upstairs. She walked up to the kitchen which she didn’t see last night (probably because of how dark it was) and saw someone working behind a small griddle, pouring in some pancake mixture into the steaming hot skillet. Chaeyoung nearly drooled at how delicious the pancakes smelled, the aroma making her twice as hungry. She caught it though and swallowed deeply. What she wasn’t able to catch, however, was the loud grumble from her stomach (similar to the one that the other girl had made earlier, the one which had woken her up).

The person turned around with a little flinch at the alien sound, but her shock quickly dissipated and was replaced with a beaming smile which illuminated her entire face. She was a little shorter than Chaeyoung, as was almost everyone she had met so far at the party, but she wasn’t focused on her height. Instead, the girl’s bright demeanor was the focal point of attention, which made her seem very approachable as Chaeyoung observed.

“Oh, uh, good morning!” she exclaimed. It brought Chaeyoung out of her mini inspection of the girl, but she smiled back anyway.

“H-hello,” Chaeyoung stammered, a little surprised at how someone could be so cheerful after such a rough and exhausting night of partying. Chaeyoung rethought that - did she see her last night? Then again, she didn’t get to see much of anything, considering what she remembered of last night at all.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

Chaeyoung widened her eyes and answered back, “H-how did you know?”

She gave her a light-hearted chuckle, “Your stomach growling kinda gave it away.”

“Oh, yeah that,” Chaeyoung nervously smiled back and rubbed her tummy in a self-conscious way.

“Don’t worry,” she assured, “They’re almost finished,” she gestured to the pancakes. “You can just take a seat and I’ll have them ready for you.”

Chaeyoung timidly pulled a stool out from the counter and sat down, folding her hands in her lap and absentmindedly fiddling with them. In an instant, the girl had already plated the pancakes and was pushing the dish toward a starving and hungover Chaeyoung. She immediately devoured the food, vacuuming it in and relishing its delicious taste. As fast as she had been given the pancakes, she had finished and picked at the last few crumbs left.

She licked her lips of any leftover syrup staining them, “Thank you,” she grinned at her. It was nice to have a homemade meal once in a while, she thought. Sometimes it tasted better than the food bought at an expensive and extravagant restaurant, which, unfortunately, for someone like her, did not appeal much. She wasn’t very picky about her food, or anything else, much to her father’s dismay. If it served the same purpose, bringing her sustenance and nourishment, then it was fine as is. Same old, same old, she pondered.

“It was my pleasure,” The girl leaned over the counter and beamed a dazzling smile back at Chaeyoung. How could someone be so peppy and cheerful? She reached out and took Chaeyoung’s plate, putting it into the sink and turning the tap on, letting the water run down onto the sticky, syrupy plate.

Chaeyoung took her silence as an invitation to ask her something, “Were you at the party last night? I didn’t see you there.”

Just as she began to wash the dish, she placed it back down and looked at Chaeyoung with an amused expression, “You’re right that I wasn’t there. Parties aren’t my scene, really.” she shrugged, “But I’m usually here the day after, helping out with cleaning and the other chores and such.”

Chaeyoung furrowed her brows, “Help out? You know the hosts and owners of the house, then?” The sweet, yet intriguing woman was sparking an interest in her.

She nodded, “I go way back with the owners, yes. Joohyun and Seulgi are like my sisters.”

Chaeyoung took a mental note of the names in case she would run into them again or thank them later for letting her stay the night. Whether it be her own free will or not. “Did you know any others at the party?”

The girl frowned in contemplation and finally answered back, “Oh!” she facepalmed, “How could I forget? I know most of the partygoers there, seeing as most of Joohyun and Seulgi’s friends are mine as well, but there are two others that are part of our little friend group if you could call it that. Yerim and Sooyoung are the two girls. Really sweet, they are but can become a pain in the ass when they get hyper and rowdy. You probably have witnessed it, but if you haven’t, then I wish you the best because they will come around eventually.” She sighed, “I’m beginning to sound like a mother.”

Chaeyoung giggled, “No worries, and even if you do, I wouldn’t consider it a bad thing.”

She smiled, “Thank you, thank you, I try my best.” She bowed in mock reverence.

Chaeyoung scrunched her nose and rolled her eyes, all the while getting up and curtsying back. She momentarily forgot about earlier that morning, but it was all brought back when she heard a door upstairs closing and someone alighting down the staircase. She internally gasped and fully stepped away from her seat, tucking the stool back under the counter.

“I really should get going, now,” she said flustered, “T-thank you for the breakfast, it was amazing!” Chaeyoung power-walked toward the exit.

“No problem!” she shouted back at Chaeyoung, “Have a nice rest of the day, miss!” The last statement came out more closely resembled a question rather than a farewell, but it would not have been heard because Chaeyoung had practically barrelled herself out of the house already, leaving a gust of wind behind in her haste. The girl looked ahead of her in surprise.

_Chaeyoung should really stop doing that to others._

As soon as she had left, the people who had descended the steps finally reached the kitchen, sniffing around and smiling in delight at the pleasant scent of the food.

“Good morning, Seulgi.” The girl said dryly at the sight of the two who had not yet greeted her, “and Lisa.”

“Mornin’ Wannie!” Seulgi grinned, rushing up to Seungwan just to back-hug her. The other girl struggled in her hold but eventually let loose, allowing Seulgi to hug her even tighter.

“Ah, you smell like booze,” Seungwan complained. Seulgi stopped tightening her hold for a second and looked at Seungwan.

“Then why are you still hugging me back?”

Seungwan groaned and pried Seulgi off of her, the latter chuckling at the Seungwan’s failed resistance. Lisa, in the meantime, had situated herself on one of the stools already, her hunger urging her to. Seungwan got the sign and plated pancakes for her.

Lisa yawned, her mouth forming a big circle she didn’t bother to cover.

“Close your mouth, if it’s that wide, I’m afraid that flies will begin to swarm in your mouth,” Seungwan warned.

Lisa immediately sucked her mouth closed without a second thought. Seulgi scoffed, “Be a little more gentle, Wannie. She’s tired and hungover.”

“As is everyone who attended this party, but that’s not my fault is it?” Seulgi opened her mouth to say something but then thought better, as she did not want to wind up in the losing side of an argument with Seungwan.

Seungwan shook her head, “Where’s Joohyun?”

Seulgi perked up at the mention of her lover and expressed back, “Oh, Hyunnie is still asleep in the guest bedroom,” She glanced at Lisa, “We both crashed there since _someone_ basically hibernated in ours.”

Lisa raised her hands up in surrender, “Hey, you told me to stay there for the night.”

Seulgi scratched her head, “Yeah, I did, but - you know what, never mind. I’m not up for any… squabbling today.”

Seungwan snorted, “You’re just backing out because you know you’d lose to the both of us.”

“Exactly!” Seulgi flailed her arms up in the air.

The other two chortled at Seulgi’s perplexed state and after a while, it calmed down, with them having settled down and eating their breakfast in a comfortable silence. Seungwan stretched out to grab Lisa’s and Seulgi’s empty plates but stopped in her place when she got to Lisa. She took Lisa’s arm and squinted.

“What are these marks?” Seungwan questioned.

Lisa pulled her arm away from Seungwan’s hold, “I’ve had a rough morning,” she grumbled.

Seungwan halted her current task of cleaning the plates to go find some ointment for Lisa’s scratches, coming back with a whole first-aid kit for something so small, to which Lisa complained. She took Lisa’s arm again and slathered the ointment on the affected areas, like slathering butter on a piece of toast. As she was reaching for the ointment for another round of application, Lisa shook her arm out.

“Thanks, but that’s enough.”

“Speaking of this morning, where’d that other girl go?” Seulgi asked.

“What other girl?” Seungwan looked at the both of them.

Seulgi stared back at her, “Oh, so at the party, this girl got into some kind of quarrel with Yerimie and Sooyoungie, and you already know how that would end. I don’t even think she did anything wrong, she was… just at the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

Lisa sneered, “Well, I think she was the one who caused this whole dilemma.”

Seungwan cocked an eyebrow, “Seems like you have a distaste for her,” she gestured to Seulgi who had zoned out a bit, “What happened next?”

Seulgi thought for a bit and responded, “Earlier in the party, I saw that Lisa had been talking to the girl and I assumed that maybe they knew each other? After the problem with the younger two, the girl ended up unconscious and I sort of panicked? So I asked Lisa to help her up into my bedroom and to let her rest.”

“That’s not all that you told me to do.”

Seulgi sighed, “I also told her to stay the night with the poor girl.”

“Poor my ass.”

Seulgi glared at Lisa and she shrugged back, “What? I’m only stating the truth.”

Seungwan interrupted the two, “So what I’m hearing is that you,” she pointed to Lisa, “somehow accidentally got involved with this girl and helped her after the complication,” she looked at Seulgi, “and you forced her to stay with the unconscious girl.”

“Well, if you phrase it like that it makes me sound like the bad guy,” Seulgi frowned.

Lisa retorted, “Because you are!” Seulgi’s shoulders slumped.

Seungwan rubbed her temples, “You both need to stop, I’m getting premature wrinkles.”

“What do you mean premature? You’re getting older as is!” Seulgi cackled, high-fiving Lisa.

Seungwan claimed, “I’m younger than you!”

“By eleven days, that’s nothing,” Seulgi reasoned.

“Whatever, you guys are still 94’s. That’s older than compared to me,” Lisa added.

“No shit, Sherlock,” said Seungwan, salty.

Seulgi nodded in silent agreement and got off the stool. “I’m gonna go wake up Hyunnie. I’ll be back down in a second.”

“Yeah, I should get going now, I really didn’t plan to sleep over.” Lisa agreed.

“Alright then,” Seulgi pulled Lisa into a big, bear hug where the latter had no choice but to accept wholeheartedly. “I’ll see you around, Lisa,” she whined into her hair.

“Oh, also!” Seulgi suddenly backed up, “I saw this dropped near the bar,” She took a small wallet out of her pocket, “Is it yours?”

Lisa clicked her tongue, “No? I don’t think so.” She grasped the wallet out of Seulgi’s hands and began to rummage through it.

“I don’t think the owner will appreciate you looking through their wallet.”

“I’m just trying to find out whose it is,” She flipped through the various credit cards and coupons stuck into the wallet. Lisa stopped when she saw a picture of its owner plastered onto one of the front flaps. “On second thought, I don’t think the owner would actually appreciate anything, Seulgi.”

Seulgi looked lost, “What do you mean?”

Lisa gently tore off the photo that had been taped inside and put it up to show to Seulgi.

“Oh.” Seulgi realized.

Seungwan had been sitting quietly in one of the stools, trying to understand the situation, “Oh? It’s the girl I saw this morning.”

“You saw her this morning, Seungwan?” Lisa put down the photo on the counter.

“Yeah, she came down and I made her some breakfast. We chatted a little.”

“So, she came right down after she smacked the hell out of you, Lisa.” Seulgi laughed.

“That’s what it seems like,” Lisa said sarcastically.

“Wait…” Seungwan looked like a light bulb had just gone off in her head, “Those scratches and bruises were from her?” She looked incredulous.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Lisa recited Seungwan’s words right back at her sing-songy. She took out one of the credit cards, “Park, Chaeyoung.”

“Huh?”

“That’s her name,” Lisa examined the credit card.

Lisa continued looking in the wallet. 

* * *

 A long drive back to her homey apartment, Chaeyoung almost fell asleep five times while on the road. Her head gravitated to the back of her seat, supported by the comfortable headrest in which she found great relaxation in. It cushioned her head, and it was right then and there that she was about to fall into a long and deep sleep. Only until she realized what she was operating did she fully snap back to consciousness, gripping the steering wheel a little harder and biting the inside of her cheek in hopes the pain would bring her back from her tiredness. She blinked, unwanted tears falling down the side of her face from how dry her eyes had been. She inhaled deeply and persevered through the rest of the car ride, successfully making it to the apartment complex’s garage.

Chaeyoung opened the door of her car and hopped out, locking the car in a swift motion with the keys. She twirled the keys on one finger and grinned. She could definitely get used to this, driving on her own. Not having the pleasure of doing it back home, she didn’t understand why most people would opt to sit back while someone else drove. Her dislike for the backseat had grown from her earlier years as well. Or maybe it was her insufferable driver that had spawned her dissatisfaction toward rear seating. But the freedom of having the ability to remotely drive or go anywhere she pleased excited her, the feeling was akin to giving a child an electronic device that was free of parental controls (which she regrettably had turned on as a kid).

She turned her back on the car and made a beeline to the nearest elevator which would bring her from basement level to the lobby above, reaching it and pressing the ‘up’ button. She patiently waited until she heard the ding of the elevator, its doors opening up rigidly. She stepped in, not much on her agenda except to make it back to her penthouse and to sleep. The doors split and revealed the over-the-top classy apartment lobby which her father had urged her to stay in, going as far as to buy the apartment for her without her consent. The first day she had stumbled in here, she attempted to play it on the down-low, but of course, her father had already informed the staff of her arrival, as they had rushed to her side to help her carry her suitcases and various paraphernalia for moving in. Her eventual bribery of the staff stopped them from catering for her every want and need, even if she didn’t have any, and treating her as such ordinary (as ordinary as it could get in an apartment of this scale) resident of the place.

She ultimately made it back after her grueling sojourn as her sleep-deprived body shuffled itself into the lavish penthouse which she had to call home. She threw her phone onto the comforter and left it there, in case the electronic temptation decided to disrupt her slumber. She turned the doorknob of her room and entered in, feeling a force emitting from the bed, drawing her near, which made her slump onto it. She tucked herself in, not bothering to wash up or organize anything from the rowdy night she had spent before. Her body wandered into a little dream world, falling asleep to a nonexistent rhythmic pattern that it was accustomed to.

She’d like to say that she had a peaceful sleep, no doubt that’s what she wanted to clarify. But it definitely was not the case. Her body was dead tired but her mind was buzzing with activity, clearing through thoughts and sorting them out, almost like her brain was doing annual spring cleaning. It flickered through memories, some lost and some wishing to be, some engraved and some not. The way her brain was sorted out if Chaeyoung were ever able to explain, was almost like a little scrapbook, but in this case, the memories had not yet been sequenced into chronological and time order. Of all the times it had decided to do this, Chaeyoung was unsure about, as she was about most things she had come across.

The silence of the large, empty penthouse was overwhelming, every breath and ruffle could be heard from Chaeyoung while she struggled to settle her mind and fall asleep. She groaned in annoyance, popping her eyes open to scan her surroundings. She tried to get up into a sitting position on the bed, but it seemed as if her body wasn’t going to allow that either. The closest thing she got to that was shifting her position in bed, turning on her side and placing one of her arms under her down pillow, supporting her head from the underside. The bed felt cool and moist like no one had slept in it for a long time, though in reality that was obviously not the case, because she had been in the very same bed only a day ago.

After a while of daydreaming and pondering in bed, her eyelids began to feel heavier as her body relaxed onto the bed. She closed her drooping eyes, putting them out of their dry misery, blinking out a few tears as she finally felt that her mind had concluded its arrangement of the occurrences she had recorded in it. She sighed in contentment, slowly but steadily falling into a slumber. The smell of alcohol had quickly been absorbed by her sheets, leaving her pillow and blankets smelling like stale beer and sharp vodka. She didn’t have the energy to move or care and just let it be, her bed swallowing her up in its warm, personified embrace.

Just as she thought she would have her wish fulfilled, the raucous ringing of the one thing she had taken care of before coming to bed hindered her sleep. She was simultaneously annoyed and gratified, as the phone had interrupted her trance yet provided her with an advanced objective - to shut the goddamn thing and end its ceaseless cacophony. She willingly heaved herself up from the bed, but not without difficulty, getting shortness of breath as she tried to suck in air through her dry throat and mouth. Her bed creaked when she got off it, her legs felt wobbly as she exited the bedroom with heavy steps.

The phone was still sounding, intermittent rings echoing throughout the silent penthouse. She made a mental note to change the ringtone, as she was sure that the current one she had set it to would be the cause of her immediate irritation. She made it to the comforter where her phone had been carelessly lobbed over, picking it up with a frown at the illuminated screen. Her eyes had not quite focused yet and she was wary to pick up without first knowing the caller themselves. She concluded the call was going to end soon, and she was right, up until they called back succeedingly, not giving any time for Chaeyoung to turn her phone off.

She rolled her eyes and reluctantly swiped at the screen to accept the call, at least now she knew it wasn’t just some scam advertisements she would regularly receive from struggling managements and destitute companies. She was often the victim of these calls, with her father transferring all of their company’s numbers and call queries to her. His only acceptable excuse was that he wanted her to be able to deal with such calls with respect and a certain level of professionalism until he would take over when she was fraught with their unending resilience. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, those little exercises really expanded her vocabulary and problem-solving skills. As always, the little heiress had to know just as much as her father did, correct? His words, not hers.

She put the phone up to her ear waited patiently for the caller to initiate the conversation. She heard a distinct coughing sound in the background like the caller had needed to clear their throat before being able to speak to her. She smiled at the thought. When the person began to speak, Chaeyoung recognized the owner of the husky voice immediately, even if the phone service was dreadful that day. Her smile only bloomed wider when he addressed her.

“Hello, Chaeyoung? This is Taehyung back from the confectionary shop.” His voice sounded a little tired but otherwise, it was full of pep.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “Oh, hello,” she flinched at the sound of her voice, how hoarse it was, “Why’d you call?”

She could hear a little chuckle, “No reason in particular, just checking up on you. Where are you right now?”

She scrunched her eyebrows, “At home?”

“Oh, okay, good.”

“What’s up with the impromptu interrogation?”

He seemed to dodge her question and just went on, “Are you alone? At home, I meant.”

“Yeah, yeah I am.”

“You bored?”

She playfully scoffed at his few words, “Mhm.”

“What about I take you out then? Might be a little dull back at your home, I’ll spice things up.”

“Why would you spice things up when you could sweeten them? I’m beginning to doubt your profession.”

He coughed again, “Oh yes, that.”

Chaeyoung even had to admit that this conversation was going nowhere, but maybe if she just kept talking something might come up, “I would love to go out again, but a killer hangover is pretty much slaughtering me right now, so I’ll have to pass.”

“Are you okay then? Want me to come over?”

She cracked a grin, “Sure, if you’d want to.”

“I’d be happy to, just send your address and I’ll be over in a jiffy.”

“A jiffy?”

“I’ll be coming over soon, jeez.”

Chaeyoung laughed and didn’t want to further tease the boy. “I’ll end it here okay? See you soon.”

“Same here.” Chaeyoung ended the call and opened the messaging app to send her address. She realized that from earlier messages she had already sent it to him, but still typed in her penthouse’s room number as he did not know that. Taehyung quickly responded to her texts with a thank you and a heart, then went offline.

She sniffed her clothes and screwed her face up in disgust at the horrible, alcoholic smell that exuded from the fabric. She went to the bathroom, undressing and jumping into the shower for a quick rinse in which she hoped that the water and soap would rid her of the pungent smell.

The quick rinse turned into a full-on steamy shower as the evaporating water fogged up the mirrors of the bathroom. She stepped out, watching in awe as the steam meandered its way around the bathroom, taking her towel off of her rack and wrapping it around her newly cleansed body, feeling a little freer now that the numbing stench was not following her around.

She went into the bedroom and to her dresser, where she pulled out comfortable pajamas, easy to move about in, and pulled them on. She dried her hair and put it into a loose bun, the baby hairs dangling out like insect legs.

Walking back to the living area, she plopped down on a couch and with the remote, turned on the TV. She sighed at whatever news anchor channel it had turned to and she switched to something more pleasant by her standards, a drama. She hadn’t kept up with the one she had been watching previously back home, because of all the stress and work that had come along with moving in. Everything had settled down, though, and she was determined to relax at least this one day before any more havoc ensued in her life.

Her doorbell chimed and she jolted off her couch, coming to stand up and go open the door. She opened it slowly, peeking first at who it was until it fully opened.

“Hey,” Taehyung said, holding a colorful box of what she assumed where sweets and cakes, “Can I come in?”

Chaeyoung smiled, “Of course, my good sir.” She stepped aside for him to enter and he stopped to look around the penthouse before his eyes wandered back to Chaeyoung.

“Oh, we’re doing labels, now? What should I call you then? My beloved, sweetheart, lovely Chaeyoung?”

She cringed and pushed him back slightly, “Oh God, no, please don’t,” she laughed.

“Kidding, just kidding,” He brought up the neon box, “Please accept my apology.” He smiled brightly.

She took the box out of his hands and feigned contemplation, “I’ll have to think about it, maybe if whatever inside here tastes good.”

Taehyung placed a hand on his chest, “I can assure you they are, I tried my best.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, “You made these?” She opened the box to find an assortment of different cupcakes, varying in flavor and color.

“I mean I do run a shop that sells these, I’d have to learn at some point,” He chuckled.

“Makes sense,” Chaeyoung said, eyeing the cupcakes hungrily.

Taehyung noticed and motioned, “Go ahead, I’m not here to stop you from eating them, in fact, I want you to have them all.”

Chaeyoung looked up at Taehyung and grinned at him, “Will do,” she placed the box down, “Thank you, Taehyung.”

“No worries, it’s my pleasure.” He mock saluted her.

She saluted back, “As is mine.”

They both migrated to the couch where Taehyung had sat in an awkwardly far distance from Chaeyoung. “You can come closer, you know? I don’t bite.”

He scratched the back of his neck and sheepishly grinned, “I don’t wanna invade your personal space bubble if you don’t like it.” He scooted a few millimeters closer.

Chaeyoung took the initiative to get closer herself, sitting beside Taehyung and looking at him, “You’re cute.”

He frowned and for a moment Chaeyoung thought she had said something wrong, “No, I’m Taehyung.”

Before Chaeyoung could even get the chance to groan, she was enveloped by Taehyung into a hug, slowly wrapping her arms around him when she realized what had happened. Her head found its way to the crook of his neck, and she laid it there for a while.

“You know if you hadn’t hugged me I probably would’ve punched for you that,” she said jokingly.

“I don’t doubt that.” He let go but still left one arm loosely bringing her closer.

“Are you feeling better?” Taehyung asked.

“Hm?”

“You said you have a hangover. I’m assuming you went somewhere the night before?”

“Smart, and yes, I did.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Wouldn’t classify it as that, I would say that’s just common sense. But anyway, where did you go?”

“Oh, I just went to some party in place of a friend.”

“And the friend? Who are they?”

Chaeyoung was a little puzzled, “You don’t know her.”

“But should I?”

“You’re starting to sound like my father,” she huffed.

“That should be a good thing.”

“Sadly, it’s not, Taehyung.”

His arm around her stiffened a bit, but not enough for Chaeyoung to notice, “Sorry for prying, I’m just worried.”

Chaeyoung took one of his hands, the one closest to her, and began to fiddle with it. “It’s fine.”

“How much did you drink last night?”She turned to glare at him and he immediately slunk back but the look didn’t last long, “To be honest, I don’t know. All I know was that it was a lot for me, because of my low alcohol tolerance. It was enough for me to completely forget what happened during the span in which I was influenced by it.”

Taehyung nodded, “You know, someone like you shouldn’t drink. It can really be a bad thing once you start to do things you didn’t know you were capable of doing. From the looks of it, I’m guessing that you were totally out of it, doing all sorts of stuff you wouldn’t do right here and now.”

She rubbed her forehead, “Yeah, I guess so too.”

Taehyung unwrapped his arm from her and checked the wristwatch on it, “I should go, I only planned to stay here for a short while just to deliver the cupcakes. Who knows what could happen if I left the shop unsupervised for an hour?”

Chaeyoung sighed but smiled anyway, “A lot could happen. Go back and take care of the shop, Taehyung.”

“You’ll be okay?”

“Always will be.”

“Good.” Taehyung got up and just as it looked like he were about to go, he quickly doubled back and pecked Chaeyoung’s cheek.

“Feel better, my beloved, sweetheart, lovely Chaeyoung,” He smiled another one of those boxy smiles.

Chaeyoung didn’t have it in her to push him away, “I will.”

“You do know I’ll keep calling you that if you don’t tell me to stop, right?” He teased, stepping in closer to Chaeyoung, their foreheads almost touching.

She looked down, partly because she couldn’t look him in the eye after such a sappy comment and also cover the flaming blush across her cheeks. “I do know. What I also know is that if you don’t get going, I’ll kick you out before you even have the chance to respond to me.”

He guffawed, “Okay, okay, I’m out.” He grabbed his phone from his pocket and went to the door, looking like he was texting someone in the process.

“If you keep looking at your phone you’ll eventually run into something. I’m sure the person you’re texting can wait until you get back.”

Taehyung glanced up with an expression of shock which dissolved when he nervously laughed back, “Y-yes, you’re right. Sorry. I’ll go now.”

Chaeyoung hummed in acknowledgment, “See you later.”

“Y-you too.” He left the penthouse, the atmosphere dimming upon his exit.

She bit her lip. Taehyung coming over was definitely unexpected, but of course, like everything else of that boy, it was a bit haphazard. Not like she didn’t enjoy him, she did, but that last bit of him seemed unsettling. Whom was he texting?

The perfectly timed notification coming from her phone disrupted her thoughts.

 _It’s been disrupting everything lately,_ Chaeyoung thought.

She picked it up and saw that it was the one person whom she didn’t want to talk to.

_Father: Someone like you, my little sweetheart, should not drink. It’s a bad thing and you know that. I hope I won’t hear any more of this type of behavior. You know I have my sources._

Chaeyoung swallowed. Her hands were shaking, the phone quivering in her grasp.

How did he even figure out?

She shook her head and tried to rid her thoughts of any more theorizing. She’d done enough of that action today alone.

She exhaled, going into her bedroom and plugging her phone in. She turned on Do Not Disturb and hoped for the best that there would be no more incoming messages. The time on the phone read an early 3 pm but she decided to sleep in. She really needed the extra hours.

She flicked the lights off in the bedroom and headed off to sleep, trying to forget.

 

 


	12. Dissolved Trust

For someone who had as rough a night as she did, Lisa was proud of how she was able to carry herself around without much slipping or stumbling. She was able to stand upright and walk around, much like someone who wasn’t hungover and sleep-deprived, but she knew that was definitely not the case. She’s had her own fair amount of alcohol in the past, and it’s helped her with coping with its after-use symptoms. She could even recall the first time she’d had the sip of liquid courage, at age fifteen, in a dinky bar back in Thailand, where even the bartenders and security guards were gullible enough to believe her ‘I forgot my ID’ alibi. But enough of wallowing in the past - there weren’t any good moments to cherish, anyway.

After the events of a certain girl almost beating her up and leaving bruises all over her body, Lisa was certain that the girl knew her, she wasn’t that dim. But when she left, Lisa followed her gaze to where she had been looking, her black snapback, and there was only one person in her life at the moment who knew her as such. Snapback Girl was what she was called, what she was addressed, and all that she was to that girl. Letting that one girl get what she wanted, Lisa couldn’t help but feel a pang in her pride, like she let someone do that to her, which was obviously what happened, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

What happened at the party, Lisa didn’t want to think back to. So many questions, so many uncertainties, so many doubts. But not one answer. Not a single one. Lisa sometimes wondered what she did to be pulled into all of this, all of what her life had become, what she had done to deserve this, and if so, karma was quite fast to catch up to her flawed form. Problems, disputes, and complications were prevalent occurrences in her life, she’s become accustomed to them, knew how to deal with them, how to fix whatever thing she screwed up. But sometimes, she didn’t, and these were the times she loathed the most. The fear of being exposed, bare and disclosed, to anyone really, scared the wits out of her, how could anyone accept her, after knowing her past? Lisa could fire an answer right away - no one. That’s what she believed anyway, and she was most often always right, to her own merit.

The morning after, she lingered for a while back at the house which had forced all these current memories into her, staying to talk and catch up with the estate’s double-owners Joohyun and Seulgi, and their amiable friend Seungwan. She clicked with them immediately, much to her own relief, as she had established herself as one who didn’t initiate many conversations, rather befriend someone. They were friendly, to say the least, and Lisa felt comfortable and relaxed there, if only for a provisional amount of time. She was there until the afternoon, when she politely bid farewell to the friends and turned her back on them, much like how everything worked out for her and headed back to her car.

She drove back in a tolerable silence, letting the sounds of the highway surround her and become her only form of noise. The commotion of the cars speeding down the roads, and the incoherent yells coming from raged drivers served as an indication of where she was and what she was doing, and fortunately, it kept her on the edge of her seat. A buzz of vitality surged through her, and it made it so that even if she wished to sleep, there was always that one fence she’d have to jump before she made it to counting the sheep. She gripped the steering wheel as she pedaled down on the accelerator, even an iota more of this mundane scene, and she’d go insane.

Lisa pulled up to the driveway of the two-story house, perplexed to spot an unknown, foreign car in the area where she would customarily park hers. She parked the car, stepping out and looking up at the sky looming above her, its clouds threatening spill over for a downpour, which she wasn’t all against to. She walked up to the door of her home, hunched over and confused, and opened it hesitantly. She was greeted with the normal sight of her living room, same as always, shutting the door and venturing further in. Nothing out of the ordinary, she noted, no signs of disturbance in the household. Why was there a car out there, though? Lisa hoped she would find out sooner than later.

She checked every room of the extensive, yet humble house, stopping in every area to play a nerve-racking game of spot the difference. Her mind wandered back to Jennie, and suddenly, Lisa’s objective was to see how she was, where she was, and if she was doing well. She wished that Jennie had seen the scribbled note she left before attending the God-forsaken party and knew about her whereabouts. She should’ve told her in advance, in case the girl became worried. She should’ve, she should’ve.

Her last trip was the bedroom, where she intuitively knew that was where Jennie was located. She turned the knob of the door slowly, not daring to look up at the bedroom just yet. She quietly entered, eyes still clamped tight, and closed the door behind her. She immediately heard shuffling from the bed, but from both sides at once. Is Jennie okay? Please let her be okay. Who’s car is that outside? Have they come into the house? Why are they here? Did they do something to Jennie? Is Jennie okay? Lisa decided to answer all of those questions at once, hitting two birds with one stone, and peeked her eyes open to take in the room.

Jennie was passed out in the bed, and as the careless sleeper, she was, her limbs were sprawled all over the bed, covering every single spot that Lisa could see… except for that one other bump of a human being sleeping next to her girlfriend. She blinked, making sure she wasn’t seeing things as she approached her girlfriend and the stranger in bed, a quiet fury building up in her. Hands balled and teeth gritted, she intended to walk up to the foot of the bed, but her feet got caught on one of the clothes pins on the ground, and she hissed in pain, the blunt ache shooting up her foot. The two in bed stirred up at Lisa’s silent cries, one of them coming back to consciousness.

“Lisa?” Jennie’s voice croaked out, her throat sounding as dry as a desert. She got up slightly, pushing herself onto the bed’s back frame for support.

“Yeah,” Lisa said quietly, her rage gone as quick as it had taken over her.

“Y-you’re back,” Jennie coughed, running her fingers through her disheveled hair.

Lisa smiled faintly at her girlfriend, relieved at her presumed safety, but she was questioning the figure knocked out next to her. She opened her mouth to form a reply back to Jennie when she’s unexpectedly interrupted by the person she’d least wanted to hear from in the exact moment.

“Yeah, she is,” The familiar voice shocked Lisa, and for a moment, she debated why the other girl would do something like this.

“Jisoo?” Lisa asked, her voice wavering.

“Why, Jen, lookie who it is,” Jisoo pulled herself up alongside Jennie, “Decided to come back on such a fine morning, huh?”

“What happened here?” Lisa pointed to them.

Jisoo wrapped an arm around Jennie protectively, almost lovingly, and the action made Lisa boil, “We could ask you the same thing.” Jisoo grinned, and Lisa could swear it was a smug one.

“I asked first,” Lisa bit the inside of her cheek to stop whatever words were going to come barreling out.

“Oh, if you must,” Jisoo put her hand on Jennie’s head and began to rub down the side of her cow-licked hair, “we had your typical girls’ night, just at home.”

Lisa sensed some undertones to Jisoo’s words but was wary in uncovering them for now, “That must’ve been fun,” she said with a sarcastic twinge, “did you have fun, Jennie?”

Jennie looked up, her eyes clouded and glassed over, as she furrowed her brows. She seemed to be articulating an answer before Jisoo came in again.

“Don’t bring her into this,” Jisoo’s tone this time was apparent, deadly and menacing.

“Her? You mean my girlfriend?” Lisa raised an eyebrow at the eldest.

“Damn straight,” Jisoo smirked.

Lisa scoffed, “You were saying, Jisoo?”

The smirk on her face faded slightly before bouncing up again, “I haven’t said anything.”

“Nothing?” Lisa crossed her arms, “You sure about that?”

Jisoo nodded firmly, “See, Lisa, where were you last night? At that party right?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Why, it is, since it’s Jennie’s after all, it must be mine too.”

“Who says?”

“I do, and I’d assume Jennie would too.” Jisoo shrugged. The girl by her side perked up a bit at the mention of her name but relaxed into Jisoo’s arms once more.

Lisa glanced at Jennie and spoke, “Babe, are you okay?” She said in a worried voice.

“What would you think?” Jisoo spit back, “if your supposed lover just suddenly vanished when you were asleep, what would you feel?”

“But I left her‐”

“Finally, you got something right, you did leave her,” Jisoo pressed her lips together.

Lisa was exasperated, “Why are you here, Jisoo?”

“Am I not allowed to be here?”

“I never said that.”

“You certainly did imply it.”

Lisa sighed, “You know what I mean.”

“You really do want answers, today, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“For your sake, Jennie invited me over. This is her house too, you have no control over what she does here or who she calls over.”

“I do have a say, given that I’m also an owner of this house.”

Jisoo rolled her eyes, “Of course you’d say that. It’s the only thing that you really own here,” she looked pointedly at Jennie but both didn’t seem to notice.

Jisoo inspected Lisa, “What are those marks?”

“I beg your pardon? What marks?” Lisa said annoyed.

“The ones following up your arm to near your neck, marks. The purple, bruising ones, if I may add.”

Lisa consciously looked down at her arms, eyes widening as she saw the marks from earlier that morning, which had turned into bruises, “That’s nothing.”

Jisoo laughed mirthlessly, “Nothing? Honey, you can’t deny those hickeys.”

“H-hickeys?” Lisa said, now incredulous.

“Did I stutter?”

“They’re not hickeys,” she tried to defend herself.

“Whatever they may be, I don’t care. But there still definitely there,” Jisoo looked back at Jennie with a softer expression, and she hadn’t said anything, but Lisa could tell through her eyes that there was some kind of feeling, some sort of emotion, embedded in those dark pearls. Lisa definitely knew they had a positive connotation.

“It’s not what you think it is‐”

“Do you even love her?” Jisoo interrupted with a sharp edge in her voice. Her hands were in fists now, pulled together so strained that she could identify the whites of her knuckles.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s what I thought,” Jisoo muttered in a low voice, not loud enough for Lisa to hear. She held Jennie tighter, letting the younger girl’s head rest on her shoulder, much to Lisa’s disdain.

“You should leave.” Lisa uncrossed her arms with a soft huff.

“Why? Because you’re here, now?”

“Stop twisting my words.” Lisa sneered.

“You’re right, I should. I’ll be leaving now.” Jisoo shuffled out of bed, throwing the blanket off of her and standing up. She looked at Lisa with a glare that could cut into anything or anyone, but at that point, Lisa was far too gone in her own anger to even notice, to even care. Jisoo left the room with a wind following her, slamming the door as the sound reverberated throughout the house.

The moment Jisoo left the bedroom, Lisa rushed to Jennie’s side, with a concerned expression plastered onto her features, as she cupped her face and brought it up closer to her. Lisa immediately noticed the swollen eyes, how bloodshot they were, but now having been through a night were now hazy. Jennie didn’t make eye contact with the younger girl, opting to look behind Lisa instead of right at her. Lisa rubbed her girlfriend’s shoulders, in a comforting manner, “Hey, are you okay?”

Jennie didn’t respond and continued to look at the patch of wall behind Lisa.

“I’m sorry, I’m back now, babe.” The older girl didn’t even glance up at the pet name Lisa had called her. Lisa brought the girl into a hug, the other girl’s head resting against her chest while Lisa’s chin was planted on her head. She stroked the dark, messy strands, in hopes of getting Jennie to reply.

She doesn’t get that though, and Jennie gently pulled herself away from Lisa’s hold. This time, Jennie was finally looking at her, but just not at her eyes. Her sharp eyes scaled the dark spots traveling up her girlfriend’s body, every new bruise she saw up closer pricking her heart. She must’ve had fun last night, to leave Jennie behind all like that.

After a couple seconds gone by, Lisa caught Jennie’s stare and blubbered out, “No, babe, don’t listen to Jisoo, these aren’t what they look like.”

Jennie sighed, and she began to climb out of bed, shrugging Lisa off of her.

“Wait, where are you going?” Lisa stammered, trying to grab Jennie who began to speed out of the bedroom. She merely bumped Lisa with her shoulder, but the force was enough for the latter to fall back onto the bed, clearly confused and bewildered at her girlfriend.

Jennie was at the door of the bedroom already, and just as she was about to leave, Lisa shouted at her, “You don’t believe her, do you?!” Lisa’s breathing had become ragged, rapidly blinking out unwanted tears that were beginning to fall from her eyes. Her body was shaking, from anger and fear of Jennie leaving her that easily. Just like that. After a few words from Jisoo, it quickly got into her head, so much so she’d switch her allegiance. Lisa was unsure whether she once even had Jennie’s support, though.

The older girl stopped in her tracks, a long silence drowning both of them. Her hand ghosted the doorknob, before coming to hold it. Tears stained the sides of her cheeks, burning her skin like a fire she had just unknowingly set ablaze. She shut her eyes, a feeble attempt to stop the deluge from her eyes, swallowing hard. The stillness of the scene was suffocating, it stealing the dry air in her lungs, trying to kill her when she was already dead. She decided to utter a few words before she finally left, not sparing a glance back at the girl on the bed.

“I don’t know who to believe anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oohohohoho, welcome back to this! I thought I would take longer to write this chapter, but I guess not. All these chapters so far, they're part of a bigger story, just a build-up, so please anticipate that! This fic won't be going anywhere soon, I'll keep writing and posting for you guys to read. Thank you :))


	13. Mine

Jennie burst out of the house, not daring to look back as she slammed the door shut with the heel of her foot. Tears streamed down her cheeks, vision shrouded by the salty liquid, as she walked down the wide, winding driveway. She had no clue where she wanted to go, she just needed to leave, to leave immediately. Her breathing became more labored when her nose became more stuffed, forcing her to suck in arid breaths to quickly satisfy herself. Her wandering feet brought her to the old, crimson car she had often associated with herself and with the owner. The car rumbled and shook, a signal that it had begun to power up, the driver inside buckling her seatbelt and placing her hands at ten and two just as she had learned all those years ago.

She practically ripped open the door of the cranky car, startling the girl inside so much she almost jumped out of her seat, if not for the seatbelt restraining her. Jennie dragged herself inside the vehicle, slumping in and closing the door. She made no eye contact with the other girl, staring down at the side compartments stuffed to the brim with loose documents and designs, possibly for the café. If Jisoo were surprised at this, she didn’t voice it out, and instead looked at Jennie concerned, the upset girl not returning the glance. Much to Jennie’s relief, Jisoo seemed to have taken the silent clue and switched her gear to drive, speeding out and away from the distressed household.

Not long after, Jisoo pulled up to the café, and Jennie suddenly felt a swell of guilt, when she realized she could’ve possibly stopped the older one from going to work the night earlier when she called her over.

* * *

  _Jisoo was sorting through all the possible design adjustments and huffed from frustration as nothing good had come from her earlier consultations with various experts of the design field. All of the samples looked the same, very similar to some extent, and Jisoo just wanted a change in the current atmosphere the café was providing; it was too bright and neon for her taste. She scrunched her nose in disgust at the different choices and decided to call it a day. Yawning, she turned off the light in her small, compact office and locked the door as she slipped out._

_Her phone began to ring from inside her purse and she sighed. Who would be calling her at such an ungodly hour? She whipped her phone out and glared at the bright screen, only to have it fade away when she read the caller ID._

_“Jennie? Hey, what’s up?” Jisoo tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, steadying an uneven beat in her chest she didn’t realize had started._

_“C-could you come over?” Jennie’s voice was small on Jisoo’s receiving end, and it immediately worried the older girl._

_About to ask another question, Jisoo thought better of it, “Yeah, of course.” She stuffed her phone in her pocket, in case Jennie was going to call again so she’d have easier access to the device and closed down the café quickly._

_By the time Jisoo got to her place, the lights of the house had all been turned off, creating an eerie aura. A light from the top floor of the house flickered on as she backed up into a free space in the driveway, hands fumbling with the gears of the vehicle._

_Jisoo scrambled up to the door, knuckles rapping softly, yet frantically, at the hardwood._

_The door opened with a creak as the old, worn wood moved out of the way to reveal a beaming Jennie. To such an infectious smile, Jisoo grinned back, letting her lips natural form themselves into a heart shape that the younger girl had always known, had always loved. Focusing on the smile of the girl, Jisoo did not suddenly note her tired features, the drooping eyes, the languid movements, and the loose grip on the doorknob. Jennie stepped aside, the cold air of the running AC inside the house hitting Jisoo as she entered, the door closing with a heavy echo when Jennie pushed it._

_Jisoo studied the interior of the house; it really had been a long time since she stepped foot in. The decor of the living room itself contrasted differently from the bare, unfurnished space she had first seen when the new couple had purchased the house together, with Jisoo’s recommendations and input taken into account as well. There was a white couch put off to the corner of the room, facing a TV placed parallel to it. On the table where the TV sat, were organized mountains of various video games, some battered and some new, unwrapped from its casings._

_Connected to the living room was the open kitchen, where a marble island sat in the middle, scattered with bags of chips and cans of sodas. “What’s up with all the snacks? I didn’t take you for one to be eating all of this,” Jisoo observed._

_“Well, you’re not wrong,” Jennie giggled, “it’s for you, silly.”_

_“For me?” Jisoo held her hand at her heart, “I never thought‐”_

_“Yeah, yeah,” Jennie brought a finger to silence Jisoo, “you were always talkative, huh?”_ _  
_

_Jisoo smirked, “Never changed.”_

_Jennie groaned, “Ugh, whatever. So yes, those are for you, as well as the video games.”_

_“All for me?” Jisoo smiled innocently._

_“Most of the games are Lisa’s but you’re free to play while you’re here.”_

_Jisoo looked away from Jennie and stroked her imaginary beard, “My, my, who said I was going to be staying here for a while? I might have something to do after this.”_

_“I said that,” Jennie teased._

_“…you’re right,” Jisoo meekly nodded, “Did you take all of these things out in hopes that they’ll capture my attention enough that I won’t leave?” Jennie’s silence responded her question, the younger girl finding an interest looking down at her feet instead of Jisoo’s twinkling, mischievous gaze._

_Jisoo chuckled at Jennie’s sudden shyness and wrapped an arm around her, “I’d still stay without the food and games,” she muttered into the girl’s ear._

_Jennie’s left ear, the one Jisoo had spoken into, turned a deep red as she swatted the older girl’s arm away, “Ah, if you’re like this, then I’ll get a head start in Mario Kart. Don’t blame me if you’re stuck with the faulty controller!” She skipped away to the couch with a surprised Jisoo still stuck in her place._

_Jisoo rolled her eyes at the girl’s playfulness and whispered into the air, for no one to hear but herself, “You don’t get it… I’d always stay with you.” She smiled impishly at Jennie, who seemed so spirited at the moment, and Jisoo thought she didn’t want to ever pry her eyes away from the younger girl._

_“What are you waiting for? Come on!” Jennie shouted her over._

_Jisoo shook herself out of her slight trance and bounced over to where Jennie was sitting, “You’re so on!” She grabbed a controller and concentrated on the screen in front of her._  

* * *

 “Jennie?”

She felt a soft tap on her shoulder and looked up. Jisoo’s warm eyes bored into her, the brown hues luring her in instantly, but this time around, they were filled with something other than the normal concern, worry, and care. There was just something else, but she couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Y-yes?” Jennie stuttered out, having a hard time concentrating when Jisoo’s looking at her that way. She gulped when Jisoo smiled, her already comforting eyes becoming even more welcoming.

“We’re here at the café, will you be okay just sitting in my office?” Jisoo softly asked, like if she spoke any louder, Jennie would break.

“I-I’ll be fine,” She smiled shakily, a futile attempt at trying to reassure the other girl. There was no hiding from the older girl because she immediately noticed and placed a gentle hand on Jennie’s, lightly tracing circles.

Jisoo looked like she wanted to say more, wanted to further comfort the girl beside her, but an employee ran outside and waved frantically in front of her car, trying desperately to get her attention. It got the older girl’s attention, all right, and she glowered back at the intrusive boy, motioning for him to go back inside. The boy must’ve come back to his senses, as he delivered a sheepish grin and sulked into the café’s doors.

“You should get going,” Jennie told her, holding in a giggle from the icy stare that Jisoo had given the boy just a few seconds ago.

Jisoo frowned and shook her head, but got out of the car anyway, the hot, humid, summer air entering the car when she opened the door. Jennie grimaced at how bright it was outside, but she knew it couldn’t compare to when Jisoo smiled at her. The older girl had a million-watt grin that was blinding to look at, yet once Jennie caught a glimpse, she’d never be able to look away.

The door on her side opened, and Jisoo reached over Jennie to unbuckle her seatbelt for her.

“No, _we_ should get going.”

The younger girl blushed at the close proximity that the two were in, but let the other do what she wanted anyway. Jisoo had a cute furrow in her brows, concentrated with getting the stubborn seatbelt undone, jiggling the strap annoyed. Jennie bit her lip from smiling too wide at the adorable sight and decided to put Jisoo out of her misery.

“I got it,” she giggled as she rubbed over a crease in Jisoo’s forehead the appeared when she scrunched her eyebrows, “thank you, though.” Jennie easily unbuckled herself with a click of the tiny gears and looked back at Jisoo triumphantly.

Jisoo sighed, “I was _this_ close!” She made the gesture accentuating her words with her fingers. She still stared at the small thing that had stolen her glory, and this time, Jennie couldn’t help but finally release her laugh, and Jisoo didn’t know how much she had been anticipating the relieving sound coming from the younger girl’s lips.

Jisoo laced her fingers with Jennie’s lithe ones resting on the buckle and looked up at her.  The tips of their noses made contact with each other, the slight touch erupting a flurry of pink to dust both of their cheeks. Jennie’s gaze was shaky, she had trouble making direct eye contact with the other girl, who was gawking at her like she was the most beautiful thing she had laid eyes on. Their hands laid unmoving where they were, neither girl dared to move.

Jennie blinked, unsure of what to do when her heart was beating so fast, about to hammer out of her ribcage. She could hear it thrumming inside her, and she was curious about whether or not Jisoo could too. She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath and slowly exhaled, not wanting to startle the older. Her breaths hitched when Jisoo conspicuously gulped, her line of sight falling down from Jennie’s eyes to her lips.

Just a little closer and they would be connected, their lips melting into one another’s, the space between them nonexistent.

_So close, yet so far._

“Uh, Jisoo-ssi!”

The loud, boisterous voice startled Jennie and Jisoo, with the latter of them bumping her head on the roof of the car, groaning in pain.

“What is it, Junhoe-ah?” Jisoo fumed, the irritation bubbling inside of her.

Junhoe fumbled with his words, “T-there’s a customer inside and uh, I was waiting for you‐”

“Will you just wait one second, I’ll be there anyway. Patience, Junhoe-ah,” Jisoo chided. She brushed the area of her head that hit the roof.

“Oh, o-of course,” Junhoe stumbled, raking his fingers through his dark hair, “I’m sorry if I interrupted… anything.” He pointed to the two girls.

Jennie immediately blushed, not looking at Jisoo. “Yah, just go back inside,” Jisoo shook her head at Junhoe.

The tall boy frantically nodded and practically speeded into the café.

“Sorry, that was Junhoe, one of my younger and newer employees,” Jisoo apologized, turning to a bright red Jennie, “don’t mind him, he’s usually like this.”

“N-no worries, let’s go,” She shot Jisoo a grin and got out of the car, pulling the older girl along with her as well.

“If you say so,” Jisoo chuckled, and the two entered the building.

The color scheme of the café never once failed to blind Jennie with its neon lights and wide variety of shades, only pink and black. Jennie rubbed her temples trying to concentrate on one area when the whole place was just swirling around in her vision. She tightened her hold on Jisoo’s hand and went forward with her, the older girl dragging her up.

“I’ll be right back, I have to deal with the customer Junhoe was talking about,” Jisoo pat Jennie’s hand and offered another smile. She left Jennie to go to the office by herself and went to go take care of the customer’s dilemma.

She wandered off into the dinky, dewey office that Jisoo had put together for herself as a makeshift headquarters, but she couldn’t help but scrunch her nose when she saw the state of the room: cramped, messy, and dark. Jennie flicked on the light switch near the door and the lights above barely came on, illuminating only a corner of the room while the rest lay there in utter gloom. She shivered at the cold breeze that had made its way in, and Jennie made a note to inform Jisoo that she was definitely not going spend the afternoon in this cluttered hole.

She approached the mahogany desk that stored all of Jisoo’s notes and documents and studied them with a great curiosity. She knew the older girl had been working hard, but not _this_ hard. Scribbled onto pieces of scrap paper were plans of future renovations that she had helped the girl with. Truthfully, “helped” was too strong of a word to use for her case. She merely recommended some designs to Jisoo, and she replied back to her that she’d have it under control. She offered her assistance to the other countless times, but they were all politely denied and Jennie just didn’t find the will to fight her anymore. So, she just let it be.

Repetitive knocks on the door shook Jennie, a soft voice whispered from the outside to her, “Jen, would you grab the notebook on the desk for me? It’s the green one, I need it.”

“Sure thing,” Jennie replied when she got over her surprise. There were so many notebooks on the desk that Jennie simply grabbed the first green one she spotted and hoped for the best. She was about to go and open the door for Jisoo when she got called again by that infuriating customer.

“Yah! This is the wrong order. Excuse me!”

Jennie heard a long sigh from the other side of the door, “I’m sorry, I’ll be right there!” With hurried footsteps, the figure that had been standing there quickly left, and Jennie stifled a chuckle.

She turned the doorknob and exited the musky office, taking a deep whiff of the coffee-injected air to rid the previous scent of dried paper and dust from the old room. She scanned the area looking for Jisoo, and their gazes met halfway when Jennie saw where she was.

The older girl was dealing with a particularly old customer, hard-headed and stubborn, who kept insisting that the café had received her order incorrectly, when in fact, Jennie already knew that it was the elderly lady who was in the wrong, not the poor girl whom she was torturing.

“Ma’am, it says right here that you or‐” Jisoo started out calmly.

“Don’t look at that tablet for confirmation of what you’re saying! I’m telling you straight to your face that you got it wrong!” The old woman groaned loudly, “Listen to me!”

“I am, ma’am, and I’m sorry that‐”

“Just be quiet! Where’s your manager, I need to speak with them.” The woman crossed her arms above her chest and huffed.

“That would be me, ma’am.”

She rolled her eyes, “Someone other than you!” Her beady eyes looked around the room, and she caught the boy from earlier, Junhoe, staring.

“You! You over there looking, come over here,” She wagged her finger at him, and he hesitantly made his way to all the commotion.

“Yes?” He smiled warmly at the lady.

She visibly calmed down at his appearance, “Ah, I was just having a little… complication with my order.”

“Would you like to order something new, then? If you’re fine with that, of course, ma’am.” He took out a notepad from his pocket to write down the woman’s drink.

“A simple chamomile would be fine,” She glanced at him with love practically seeping out of her eyes. Jisoo and Jennie stood behind Junhoe, to possibly avoid any other fights that might occur.

“Sounds fantastic,” Junhoe beamed, “coming right up!” He tucked the pencil he had been writing with into his hair and walked back to his station to make the lady’s order. The other girls followed him back.

“How’d you do that?” Jennie complimented in amazement, “That was awesome!”

“It definitely was, Junhoe-ah,” Jisoo pat his back in appreciation, “I knew I didn’t make a mistake hiring you.”

“I think I made a mistake coming to work here, though,” Junhoe sighed with Jisoo frowning, “Because I’d have to deal with patrons like that!” He quickly added before things got messy.

“Good thing you know how to deal with them,” Jisoo laughed, “I’ll be out for a few, cover for me?”

“Will do, Jisoo-ssi!” He mock-saluted her, and Jisoo nodded in amusement.

“Come on, Jen,” Jisoo grabbed Jennie’s hand and led her back to the office.

They both entered, and Jisoo asked, “Do you have the notebook?” She held her free hand out, the one that Jennie wasn’t holding onto.

Jennie realized their hands were still locked and slightly jerked her hand away from Jisoo’s, giving her the requested notebook. Jisoo smiled at her before taking it, not looking at the cover before flipping through the contents of the book. Her cheeks blushed quickly before shutting it closed.

“What’s wrong?” Jennie frowned.

“O-oh, you just gave me the wrong notebook, n-no worries,” Jisoo stammered, putting the green book on the desk and rummaging through her loose papers until she found the other green notebook she had been looking for.

“This one has a summary of all the plans I have to go through by tonight, then I’ll have to send my input to my current designer,” Jisoo explained.

“Work?” Jennie furrowed her brows.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be anything else.”

“Cancel it.”

“What?”

“You heard me, cancel it.” Jennie folded her hands behind her back.

“I can’t just do that, Jen!” Jisoo said, exasperated.

“Yes you can,” Jennie said, putting her hand on Jisoo’s shoulder, “besides, have you gone over my plans for the renovations, yet?”

“Of course I have, I’m just making sure that it’ll be the perfect design.”

“By hiring more interior designers and spending your money? When there’s a perfect one right in front of you and she just happens to be your best friend?”

Jisoo nervously chuckled and scratched the back of her neck, “Pretty much.”

Jennie reached for the notebook in Jisoo’s hands and took it from her, closing it, much to Jisoo’s dismay, “It’s called taking a break, Jichu. Even for a couple hours, it’ll still be something.”

“I don’t know about that, Jen…”

“Please?” Jennie put on her best pleading face, and to no one’s surprise, Jisoo cracked.

“Alright then.” Jisoo stretched, “But only for a few hours, you got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, now sit down!” Jennie pushed Jisoo into a chair while the latter whined dramatically, pouting like a child.

“You still act the same,” Jennie noticed.

“The same from what?”

“From back when we met,” Jennie internally smiled, reliving the memory.

“You were quite the nerd back then,” Jisoo teased.

“No, I wasn’t! You were just a little too dull for your own good.”

“I was only a little behind with that academic stuff, you can’t blame me!”

“Sure, Jichu.”

* * *

  _Jennie sat at her desk, watching her new classmates fool around with one another. Wow, they were all so rowdy, one of the boys even tried to hit a girl’s butt! Gone with the gentleman troupe as she had been taught! She focused her attention on the textbook in front of her, a page dedicated to the multiplication table. She had been trying her best to understand and memorize its contents, but it just wasn’t coming to her, no matter how long she had been studying (only for about 10 minutes, but she didn’t care about that.)_

_The rowdiness of her peers was beginning to get to her, the sounds of their aggressive playing coming ever so closer. She was calm, she had to be, and she didn’t try to stop the noises. If she were quiet, they would eventually go away, right?_

_A hand forcefully coming in contact with her desk startled her out of her silent, serene peace. She frowned and looked up to see who it was._

_“Hey there, you’re pretty, "An indolent boy in her class greeted her, “You’re obviously new here, why’re you sitting alone? Come and play with my dudes,” He pointed with his thumb to the back where disgusting, wayward delinquents had gathered, she recognized a lot of them when she was on her way to class since they were being disciplined in the principal’s office._

_Jennie shook her head, trying not to scoff at the boy’s lame excuse of an advance, “No, thank you.”_

_“Come on, it’ll be fun!” He stepped closer to her, smiling, but Jennie did not want to deal with trouble today._

_“No, really, I’m fine,” Jennie waved him off._

_“Awh, don’t play hard to get! You don’t want me begging, do you?” The boy’s expression tightened, his smile becoming thinner the second._

_Jennie sighed, exhaling from her nose, “I don’t know, do you?” She raised an eyebrow._

_“Yah, mind who you’re talking to!” He slammed his hand on the desk one more time. To be fair, Jennie had been keeping a cool exterior, but inside she was panicking and terrified._

_“You should take your own advice, brat!” A new voice behind him yelled. The boy stepped aside to reveal a small girl with a fierce grin playing on her lips._

_The boy facepalmed, “What now, Jisoo?”_

_“Get lost.”_

_“How does all that bravery fit in such a tiny body?” The boy laughed, ogling at Jisoo._

_Jisoo pointed at the boy’s head, “I’m astonished that you’re able to speak at all with that tiny, tiny brain of yours,” she grinned wider, “you don’t want me revealing all that dirt on you, right?”_

_The boy’s slump figure firmed until he stood as straight as a pole, “You don’t have to do that, Jisoo,” He put his hands up in surrender._

_“Then, should I remind you? Get lost.” Jisoo gestured to the back of the room, and he shuffled to his groupies._

_Jennie eyed the other girl. Tilting her head, she smiled in return to match the smile Jisoo had given her, “Thanks.”_

_Jisoo winked at her and clicked her tongue, “Anytime.”_

_“So…Jisoo?” Jennie leaned on the desk with her elbow._

_“Correctomundo! And you’re…?” Jisoo asked._

_“I’m Jennie,” She tucked a strand of her behind her ear, “New here if you haven’t already figured out.”_

_“I could use some new pals,” Jisoo offered a side grin, “What’d you say, Jen?”_

_Jennie shut her textbook and beamed at Jisoo, “Would love to.”_

* * *

 “I still can’t wrap my head over the fact that you threatened the poor boy!” Jennie exclaimed, waving her hands about.

“Hey, it wasn’t a threat! It was… a reminder,” Jisoo shrugged.

“What kind of leverage did you even have as an eight-year-old?” Jennie laughed.

Jisoo leaned in closer and muttered, “For your information, I was a feisty eight-year-old. And he forced all the smarties in the class to do his homework, I wasn’t about to let that happen to you.”

“Oh, so now I’m a smarty?”

“Yeah, my smarty,” Jisoo winked, the action not differing from all those years back.

She pushed the older girl playfully away, covering her face with her hand to hide a blush, “Shut up.”

“We both know you like it, Jen,” Jisoo smirked.

Jennie rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say.”

Jisoo brought her wrist up to her eye level to check her watch, “Ah, I should get going back now, as much as I trust Junhoe, I don’t trust our customers.”

Jennie pouted, “Already? What would I do then?”

“Well, you could just sit here in this damp, smelly office,” Jisoo put her pointer finger up as one choice, “or you could come to watch me in action?” Another finger went up.

The younger girl lightheartedly groaned, “Fine, I guess I’m being forced to choose the second option.”

Jisoo shot both of her hands in the air, victorious, “Don’t make that face at me, you want to see me! Let me hear a whoot whoot!”

“…whoot whoot,” Jennie murmured.

“What? I can’t hear you. Louder, Jen!”

“Whoot whoot!” Jennie practically shouted, and her eyes widened at how loud she was.

“That’s more like it,” Jisoo raised a hand up for Jennie, “Up top!”

Jennie met Jisoo’s hand halfway for a high-five, but when their hands met, Jisoo instead intertwined their hands together. She brought them to her side and looked at Jennie, “Let’s go.”

* * *

 The sky had darkened around the illuminated cafe, the building casting a long shadow behind itself. Customers flew in and out, some getting their drinks and leaving immediately, while others stayed behind to enjoy their orders with friends or relatives. It was a calming atmosphere, Jennie had to admit, and the quiet chatter of the patrons didn’t get any louder than an inside voice. She stood near Junhoe’s station, watching the other two on the job from afar, smiling every time the customers would compliment or thank them. They taught the novice some of their trade when all the customers were satisfied, but Jennie long decided she was not fit for the profession and opted for just looking around.

The clock ticked nine, and that’s finally when Jisoo came over to her, with a fatigued, but bright expression, “How was it?”

“You work really hard, Jisoo,” She yawned, “aren’t you tired?”

“Absolutely exhausted,” Jisoo confirmed, “I’m almost done around here, give me five more minutes.”

Jennie nodded, “Better make sure it’s only five, I’ll be timing you,” she tapped a finger to her wrist.

“Yes ma’am, will do!” Jisoo bowed to a laughing Jennie and went back to her office.

She came out a little less than five minutes later, holding the green journal that Jennie had first gotten her in one hand, “We ready to go?” She slung her bag over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Jennie hesitated. She didn’t meet Jisoo’s eyes.

“You don’t want to go back, is that it?” Jisoo realized. The stare that Jennie gave her was enough confirmation of her guess.

“It’ll be fine,” Jisoo wrapped an arm around Jennie, “you can’t run away, Jen.”

“I know, but I want to,” She weakly laughed.

Jisoo took the other girl’s shoulders and pulled her into a hug, the younger burying her face into the crook of her neck. Jisoo caressed the girl’s hair, bringing her in closer.

“Give her a chance, Jen,” Jisoo said, “if she does anything, though, call me right away.” Jennie hummed into her neck with Jisoo slightly shuddering.

“Where was she last night?” Jennie suddenly questioned.

“She was at a party hosted by Joohyun and Seulgi,” the older girl answered.

“How would you know?”

Jisoo pulled away and raised her eyebrows at Jennie, “I was obviously invited!” Jennie sighed and grabbed her back in, relishing in the warmth of the other.

Jennie frowned, “Why didn’t you go?”

The older girl stiffened in her hold, “Because I had work to do… and you called.”

The words brought a smile back onto Jennie’s face, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Jisoo cupped Jennie’s cheeks and grinned, “You know you’re cute, right? Has she ever told you that?”

Jennie flushed and whined, “Yes, she has.” She wasn’t lying, but the phrase felt different coming from Jisoo, a good different.

“Good,” Jisoo let go, “You can go ahead, I’ll close up shop.”

“Okay,” Jennie reluctantly separated herself and left the café’s doors, leaving Jisoo alone in the dark since Junhoe had already left earlier.

Jisoo smirked to herself. Why, that was easy. She shoved her hand into her coat pocket and brought out a crinkled sticky note, with hastened writing on it.

_I’ll be gone for a few hours._

_I’m at a party hosted by some friends_

_Don’t worry about me, I haven’t died or anything haha_

_Love,_

_Lisa <3 _

Her eyes scanned over the entirety of the note again, “I want you back, Jen,” she said to herself, “I made a mistake letting you go to her.”

Her hand instinctively crumbled up the note, and she threw it out to trash can nearest to her.

“I’ll have you back, I’ll make sure of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise Jensoo POV! I wanted to develop their platonic relationship into something more in this chapter, and I might do some more chapters in their perspective. But for now, since they're only a side pairing, I might not focus as much on them compared to the other two. Who knows though, I might do another random chapter with them. Hope you enjoyed this update, thank you for reading! <3


	14. Speculation

“Hello?”

Chaeyoung’s groggy mind perked up at the voice of an unknown individual, her soft and breathy tone on the phone bringing a smile to her features.

“Yes, this is Chaeyoung speaking?” She inquired.

“Good morning,” The girl spoke, “Sorry for calling so early, but I intended to call you yesterday, actually.”

Chaeyoung furrowed her brows at the silence that took over the call after, “Yes? And you are…?”

“Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself, this is Joohyun?” Chaeyoung thought back when given the name, “I think you attended a party I recently hosted?”

The sleepy girl brightened up when she finally remembered, “Ah, Joohyun as in Joohyun and Seulgi?”

She chuckled, the call transmitting it more hoarse and cut off, “Strange you would remember it that way, but yes.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t really given any names when I went to the party,” Chaeyoung laughed.

“No worries,” Joohyun cleared her throat, “but onto the matter at hand…” Chaeyoung frowned at the girl’s serious tone that overtook the light, playful one.

“I’d assume you aren’t in possession of your wallet right now, is that correct?”

“Why are you asking?” Chaeyoung snapped a little. She was used to this question, so many others before have asked this that it’s become numb to her ears by now.

Joohyun, on the other line, seemed taken aback, “It’s because you may have left yours here?”

“W-wait, wha‐” Chaeyoung grabbed her purse from the floor beside her bed and rummaged through its contents.

Wallet? Nonexistent.

_Now you’ve done it, Chaeyoung._

“O-oh, I think I did, yes,” Chaeyoung chuckled embarrassingly, facepalming herself.

“Good, because if you didn’t then you would’ve put me in a very awkward position.”

“When will I be able to come over to get it?” Chaeyoung got herself to ask.

She heard a slight ruffle on the other end until the phone was picked up again, “Would you mind repeating that?” Right after Joohyun uttered those words, Chaeyoung was able to hear groans and even more ruffling.

“Is it okay for me to come over and grab it today?” Chaeyoung repeated the question with more clarity.

“Oh, of course,” A smack resonated through the phone call and Chaeyoung couldn’t help but wince herself at the sound, “Sorry, yeah, I’m free the whole day.”

Chaeyoung could swear she heard a “like always” in the background and yet another smack, “I’ll be over in a few then.”

“Lovely, I’ll be expecting you.”

“Great, thank you for opting to tell me sooner than later,” Chaeyoung expressed.

“No worries, just remember to always check if you have everything when you leave next time?”

“Got it.” Chaeyoung ended the call after giving their respective goodbye’s.

She climbed out of bed, her feet touching the cold marble floor below. She shivered at the cold air around her and rushed into the bathroom, on a mission to both get dressed and warm up.

* * *

Chaeyoung started the engine of her car and relaxed as the vehicle revved up. She sped out of the complex. She let the music playing inside the car numb her senses and surroundings, and before long, she had already reached her destination.

The looming house that looked threatening during the nighttime gave a completely different feel during the day; its windows were all propped open, and the occasional breezes here and there flowed through the passages. At the party, Chaeyoung vaguely remembered complaining about how suffocating the environment was, but it was probably just all of the people there anyway.

She parked near the sidewalk of the house, and even before she got out of the car, the door of the house slammed open, and Chaeyoung could make out a blurry figure due to the sunlight outside. As she walked closer, the small outline of a woman became more visible and eventually became into who she could assume was Joohyun.

“Morning,” Joohyun greeted, her smile almost as blinding as the sun above them. Chaeyoung immediately smiled back, almost on command. How she wished she had a grin that addictive.

“Good morning to you, too,” Chaeyoung had the confidence to utter back.

“Come in, come in,” Joohyun stepped aside for Chaeyoung to get by, “It’s not often that I get visitors during the day,” She chuckled, her raspy voice alluring Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung hesitantly went through the door and blinked at the house put on full display in front of her. It really _was_ different, and not just because she’s sober. The interior during the party was neon-filled madness with flashing lights just to add to the insanity of the partygoers. The booming of the stereo rattled her, and now that it was eerily silent she didn’t know what to say.

“Would you like coffee?” Joohyun’s voice ripped her out of her stupor and she turned to look at the smaller woman.

“Yes please,” Chaeyoung sheepishly said.

“Yeah, you seemed like one of those people who couldn’t function without a cup o’ joe,” Joohyun remarked.

“Spot on,” Chaeyoung agreed. She followed Joohyun to the massive kitchen inside and was reminded of the pancakes she had feasted on and how she sprinted away.

“Hey,” Chaeyoung interrupted the silence, “Would you happen to know who was downstairs the day after the party?”

Joohyun snorted, “You have to be a tad bit more specific.”

Chaeyoung’s cheeks flushed from embarrassment, “Well, she was short with dirty blonde hair and bangs. She was just _radiating_ happiness, you know?”

“We both have to agree that none of that made sense but yeah, I know who you’re talking about. That was Seungwan, she stops by after the parties to help clean up and cook.”

“On her own free will?” Chaeyoung gaped at her.

Joohyun nodded, “On her own free will. She’s even been dubbed by one of our other friends as Mother Wenresa!”

“Seems fitting for her. She also made killer pancakes!” Chaeyoung sighed at the thought of those fluffy, sweet pancakes.

“Pretty much anyone who has had a taste of Seungwan’s pancakes never forgets them,” Joohyun commented, “I’ve had them dozens of times, but I still crave for them randomly!” The smaller woman took out a cup to pour the already-completed coffee in, “How are you feeling? You blacked out hard after all that ruckus,” Joohyun reached out for a carton of cream, “Yes or no?”

“It could be better, but I do feel a lot more refreshed,” Chaeyoung admitted, “And yes please.”

Joohyun poured a bit of cream into the dark, steaming cup of coffee, “I didn’t see you there when I went downstairs. Granted, I did come down a lot later than the others, but I wanted to see the face of the person who was part of all that commotion.” She passed Chaeyoung the cup.

Chaeyoung stared down at the liquid, swirling it lightly, “I left before I could cause any more trouble; I’m really sorry about what happened at the party.”

“Oh, I’m not going to hold that against you. We all do some pretty dumb things when we’re under the influence. Also because the people you were up against were some of my main troublemakers. Lovable once you get to know them, but total asses to strangers.”

“Thanks, Joohyun,” Chaeyoung took a swig of the boiling hot coffee and felt it burn her taste buds. She dragged her tongue over the roof of her mouth to relieve the stinging, “Would it be terrible to assume that this happens often? You seemed so well-prepared to deal with this.”

“Nope, it happens a lot more than you think,” Joohyun shrugged, “Some people just get really over-dramatic when they’re drunk, thinking they’re in some kind of soap opera.”

“Me included,” Chaeyoung laughed.

“Yes, you included,” Joohyun cracked a smile.

“Were you the one to help me upstairs to the bedroom?” Chaeyoung asked.

“Actually no,” Joohyun replied, “I had to watch the party going on so I asked the person who caught you when you were about to fall to send you up.”

Chaeyoung furrowed her brows, “Who caught me?”

“One of my friends, Li‐”

“UNNIE!”

The two turned around at the sudden yell that sounded from the living room. A short girl (were they all this short?) stumbled into the kitchen, a hand over her eyes to cover the bright sunlight shining through the open curtains. Chaeyoung immediately recognized her.

“Hey, who do you have over this time?” Yerim drawled out. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a curious Chaeyoung.

“Y-you!” Yerim’s face flashed with fear before turning into a stony expression, “What are you doing here?”  
  
“I invited her here, Yerim-ah,” Joohyun calmly explained, “You remember that wallet left here? It was hers.”

Yerim nodded and took a seat next to Joohyun on a stool, “What’s for breakfast?”

“Nothing, go make it yourself.”

“But‐”

“I’m just kidding; it’s in the fridge in the bottom drawer,” Joohyun teased, “I wouldn’t actually do that to you.”

Yerim gratefully grinned and back-hugged Joohyun, “You’re the best.” She staggered over to the refrigerator which due to the massive kitchen, was located on the other side of the room entirely. Chaeyoung loosened her shoulders and sipped the by now, lukewarm coffee.

“Don’t worry about Yerim,” Joohyun said once Yerim had left a considerable distance from them, “She feels really bad about what happened, and she wants to apologize but her stubborn personality won’t allow it.” Joohyun shook her head.

“No, I get it,” Chaeyoung assured, “My pride restricts me from doing certain things, too.”

“She’ll come around eventually‐ I’m sure of it,” Joohyun patted Chaeyoung’s shoulder.

“I’m not looking for an apology, though. We’re both in the wrong when it comes to this. I just want us to reach an understanding. Our first meeting was anything but ideal,” Chaeyoung stated.

“You’ll get the chance to do that very soon,” Joohyun gestured back to Yerim who was slowly approaching them with a plate of steaming scrambled eggs.

“When did you make these?” Yerim asked, shoving a spoonful into her mouth.

“This morning. I thought you’d be up by the time I was finished but apparently not. I put them into the fridge so they wouldn’t spoil,” Joohyun paused, “Are you complaining?”

“Nope!” Yerim smiled with her mouth closed, her teeth munching on the eggs. She took her previous seat beside Joohyun and placed the plate on the counter, eating happily.

Chaeyoung took a glance at the smaller girl and almost grinned at how cute she looked. She looked a lot different than she last saw, like most things Chaeyoung sighted today. Not long after, the plate was empty and there was a satisfied Yerim leaning back into her chair.

“Thank you,” Yerim doesn’t forget to add.

“You’re welcome.”

Yerim’s gaze switched to Chaeyoung, and the two stared at each other, unsure of what to say. An awkward silence engulfed them while Joohyun was trying hard not laugh out loud. It didn’t work, however.

Joohyun guffawed, “Really guys?”  
  
“What?” They both said simultaneously. Looking at each other with a weird expression, they pried Joohyun for an answer.

“It’s not our fault. What would you have done in our situation?” Yerim crossed her arms.

“Yeah, it’s not that easy,” Chaeyoung chimed in.

“First, I wouldn’t be petty and prideful,” Joohyun fired back, “Then I would maybe apologize. You said so yourself, Chaeyoung.” Joohyun grinned widely.

“Well, you got me there,” Chaeyoung grimaced.

They both gingerly exchanged looks.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

They ended up saying the word at the same time again, surprising themselves and each other.

“You guys didn’t plan this whole unison thing, did you?” Joohyun snickered the girls’ mortified expressions.

Yerim giggled, “Oh, I wish,” she uncrossed her arms, “I’m sincerely sorry about that night, though. Things got way too out of hand and what I did to you was uncalled for.”

“I need to say sorry too. I don’t know what got in me to actually start flirting with your… girlfriend,” Chaeyoung thought out her words carefully.

“No need to hesitate‐ yes, we are dating,” Yerim beamed.

Chaeyoung nodded and let a soft smile overtake her features. How could someone drastically change this much?

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but how did you get invited to the party anyway?” Yerim questioned. Joohyun seemed to take interest in this as well.

“Your friend Jisoo couldn’t make it so she asked me to take her place. Something about me being a homebody and not getting out enough,” Chaeyoung said.

“Oh, I was wondering why Jisoo wasn’t here! She usually mans the bar,” Joohyun noted.

“Don’t leave me to my own devices unless you want a very drunk Yerim ravaging the beer fridge,” The youngest warned.

“And that’s probably what happened,” Chaeyoung snorted.

“You’re not incorrect, Chaeyoung.”

They all burst out in laughter before Joohyun asked, “How’s Jisoo doing? I haven’t seen her in a while; I’m beginning to get a bit worried about our resident workaholic.”

“Workaholic, yes. She’s going over some renovation plans for the café and hasn’t had the time to go out. I kid you not she actually surrounds herself in her work to the point that she forgot who I was for a split-second when I went to check over the reference images one time.”

“Wow, that’s dedication,” Yerim chuckled.

“Her girlfriend must be helping her a crap ton, then,” Joohyun pointed out.

“Girlfriend? She has a girlfriend?” Chaeyoung was the epitome of the confused emoji right now.

“I’m pretty sure… what was her name…?” Joohyun mused.

“Was it Jennie?” Yerim blurted out.

“Yeah, I think so!”

Chaeyoung’s eyes flickered between the two, “I think you’re mistaken. Jennie’s already dating someone and that someone isn’t Jisoo.”

“What?” Joohyun looked stunned.

“I forgot her name; I vaguely remember Jennie telling me but it completely slipped my mind,” Chaeyoung frowned.

“How is it not Jisoo?” Yerim loudly whispered to herself.

“I would normally tell you to keep those opinions to yourself but now, I’m also wondering the same thing. Everyone thought it would be Jennie and Jisoo who got together.”

Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow, “Everyone?”

“I went to college with those two, that’s I’m friends with them. We used to do random convenience store raids at midnight and watch movies ‘til the break of dawn,” Joohyun reminisced.

Yerim shuddered, “Not everyone’s as old as you.”

“The age thing again, I swear to God, Kim Yerim,” Joohyun began.

“How close were they?” Chaeyoung cut off. The focus was brought back to the previous topic.

“They were really close, always clinging onto each other in some sort of way. They seemed like the picturesque couple everyone strived toward. Except, they weren’t dating. Our small friend groups made it almost our goal to get those two idiots together but college ended way too soon for our liking and interrupted our plans. Now, most of us don’t keep in contact with each other, and if we do, our conversations are brief and forced.”

“Granny, you’re making me want to never come out of college.”

“So don’t. I don’t need you emptying my pantry every week.”

“Unnie!” Yerim whined and leaned on Joohyun’s shoulder. Joohyun stroked the younger’s hair with her fingers, “Go clean your plate.”

Yerim winced, “Ah, even pouting won’t work?”

“Nope.”

“It always does, though,” Yerim sulked away to the sink.

“Are they still close?” Joohyun asked Chaeyoung.

“Jennie and Jisoo?” Joohyun nodded, “Yeah, from what I’ve seen, which isn’t much, they’re most definitely still close. It’s like they have each other’s back, and it’s reassuring to see them like that.”

“Have you noticed _the look?_ ”

“The look?”

“How they look at each other. Their eyes are literally spilling over with emotions and it’s safe to say that love or admiration is one of them.” Joohyun insisted.

“Yeah, I noticed that too. How is your gaydar not signaling?” Yerim agreed, walking back.

“My g-gaydar?” Chaeyoung sputtered.

“Your gaydar.”

“I’m not so sure I…”

“What is it, questioning or conservative family?” Yerim leaned on the counter.

“Think it’s a bit of both,” Joohyun observed.

“Listen, I don’t know what you guys are talking about.” Chaeyoung stopped.

“Whatever you say, sis. It’ll come out eventually,” Yerim shrugged. Chaeyoung could swear that she heard “you’ll come out eventually” as well, but she wasn’t going to ask for clarification.

Chaeyoung coughed, “Anyway, I did notice the lingering gazes. I mistook them for a couple the first time I saw them. Of course, I didn’t say it aloud, but the thought was there.”

“Precisely,” Joohyun confirmed, “You can see why now I’m a little confused‐ no, completely shocked‐ that they’re still just friends.”

“I guess you could put it that way.”

Joohyun rummaged through the pocket of her sweatshirt, “I think you may want this back,” She pulled out the infamous wallet that caused all of this.

“Ah, thank you!” Chaeyoung gratefully took back the wallet.

“It seemed that you didn’t know you left it here,” Joohyun chuckled.

Chaeyoung stuffed it into her purse, “There wasn’t any need to use my wallet yesterday. I home-cooked.”

“Sounds like you rested well after that night of partying.”

“You have no idea how many cupcakes I devoured in bed.”

“Sounds idyllic,” Yerim said, rubbing her tummy.

“You just had breakfast,” Joohyun objected.

“Yeah, but no dessert.”

“Go get dressed, you,” Joohyun nagged.

“Alright, alright, I’m out,” Yerim started out, “It was nice to actually get to talk to you like a decent human being, Chaeyoung. Whatever your definition of decent is, that is.”

“Likewise, I hope to get to see you around!”

“You know where I’ll be!” Yerim spread her arms and spun around the kitchen.

“Yah, go,” Joohyun reminded.

Yerim gave a little wave before dashing out.

“I should head out, too. I’ve taken too long of your morning,” Chaeyoung stood up.

“Only if you want to,” Joohyun grinned, “I’ll be letting you go now. I have some other things I have to take care of as well. Do you need me to walk you out?”

“No, that’s fine,” Chaeyoung slung her bag around her shoulder, “you’ve done plenty for me already.”

“Suit yourself,” Before she left, Joohyun gave her a small side-hug and leaped up the stairs.

(“Hyun!”

“I’m coming, Seulgi-ah.”)

Chaeyoung left the kitchen and walked through the house to get to the door (a very long stroll, she must add.) When she opened the door, she braced herself for the blinding sunlight but instead received a gloomy overcast, the clouds covering up the bright sun. She peeked her eyes open and walked toward her car.

* * *

_“Oof, gotta go guys! Duty awaits!” Jisoo quickly hugged Jennie and was gone in a flash._

_Chaeyoung could swear she saw Jennie’s face redden from the action. Before she could get a better look though, the pigmentation was gone as quickly as it appeared._

_…_

_“Jesus, I’m so stupid, and it was our 1 year anniversary too,” Jennie covered her face with her hands, “This is all my fault.”_  

_“You’re not stupid! We just lost track of time,” Jisoo put her arm around her, “Just explain to her what happened, she’ll understand.”_

_…_

_“I may have left my purse back at my apartment, could you go get it? I would but I’m kinda like the guardian of this place, so… wouldn’t want to do that.”  Jisoo tossed her the apartment keys. “I’m also really lazy and don’t want to go all the way back,” she loudly whispered to Jennie._

* * *

Now that she thought about it clearly, they _did_ seem a lot closer than friends. It wasn’t her place to pry and snoop though.

She smiled at the thought of what Jisoo and Jennie could have been.

Or could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyheyhey, sorry for the long wait! I can't really force myself to write things so that's why this one was late :(((. This chapter is a bit of a filler, but I promise that Chapter 15 will be worth waiting for! <333


	15. Contradictions [i]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see that I actually named the chapters of this story??? lmaooo it was hard to keep track of them so instead of referring to them with numbers, I stuck names to them.

Lisa felt the blood pounding inside her head, a constant, rhythmic thump that was beginning to irritate her. It hammered inside her, threatening to spill out all at once. After all, it was the only liquid she could really offer anymore; she had already cried out the remaining water in her system. Her eyes were still shut tight firmly believing that this terrible dream, this cruel nightmare, would just end. She gripped the immaculately white sheets around her, searching for some sort of release for the frustration she was currently housing. She breathed in through her mouth, her chapped lips becoming even more chapped.

The last time she cried to no end like this was way back in her youth when she thought she had all the world could offer. She was happy that time, but like much “happiness” she’d experienced, it was fleeting. The happiness was ripped from her, and it left her a shell of her former self. Once she had it, been in possession of said feeling, it was so much harder after she'd lost it. She couldn’t fathom what she had done back then, so it was only fair that it left her this way. That was when she was set on rebuilding herself, becoming better by each day. But the blueprint she’d gone by must’ve been flawed because she was in no way equipped to handle another curveball that life threw at her. One strike to her, and she was down on her knees, at the mercy of life and its cronies.

Except that it didn’t give her mercy, it gave her sadness, guilt, and _regret._ She regretted so much in the few years she’d gone through, the rough years she’d barely managed to get by. She waded across the endless expanse of what seemed to be the guilt she harbored within. The fight with Jennie must have dug up whatever emotions she kept at bay because now she was being drowned by all of the feelings she’d forgotten how to feel. Their status right now was questionable at best, nonexistent at worst. She loved her, and she knew without a doubt that would never change anytime soon. Only, she might not be the only one who loves Jennie. Lisa would be in for a rude awakening if she doesn’t take off those rose-colored glasses quickly.

She got out of bed, the mattress below her creaking with stiffness. She staggered for balance on the hardwood floor, her feet leading her to the kitchen. The hunger was eating from the inside out after she remembered she really hadn’t had a decent meal yet. She opened the refrigerator, shivering at the cold air that hit her. She rummaged through its contents, searching for her secret stash of comfort foods that she always devoured whenever feeling down.

However, after looking through the never-ending pile of food she had collected and bought at her last time at the grocery store, the golden cache of snacks was nowhere to be found. She scratched her head, trying to reflect back to the last time she had munched on the delicious morsels, and whether or not she did it unknowingly. That couldn’t be possible: she was always fully aware each time she took something out and made a note to herself every time she did so. Did Jennie eat some of it? No, Lisa made sure to remind her not to touch the stack of food. Then who did? She sighed, closing the refrigerator door shut.

It wasn’t like she despised impromptu trips to the local market, anyway.

* * *

The outside markets were crowded, with people bustling in and out of different booths. There were technicolor tents set up in various free spots of the area, and smiling workers greeted you wherever you went. Lisa frequently visited this part of town, as the atmosphere really reminded her of Thailand. Maybe a little too much, actually. She parked her car away from all the pedestrians and set off on foot to find whatever she was looking for. There was nothing in particular that she stashed away in the hidden drawer, all of the food that had been in it was from this very market. She usually wandered around here whenever she had free time, always trying out different things, clearing her mind with the smell of freshly cooked street food.

She hadn’t been here for a long time, but her feet still recognized the gravel they were tramping on. Lisa passed by the booths, sniffing savory and sugary snacks simultaneously. The vendors waved over at her when they remembered her, with Lisa waving back just as gleefully. She knew most of the people here, and some of them she even knew when she first came to Korea. It was safe to call this place her own little corner of home; well, that she shared with others.

She found herself flipping back the covers of a tent to enter inside a small seating area filled with plastic seats and tables. She took the seat in the corner of the place, the flimsy plastic swaying under the slippery grass floor before being planted into the dirt when she sat down. She made herself comfortable in the cool air of the small fan in the middle, the machine swinging to her every few seconds or so. The tent was silent except for the fan’s drones, which Lisa was becoming accustomed to before another flap of the tent‐ for the kitchen, Lisa guessed‐ snapped up to reveal an elderly woman with a big, bright smile.

“Don’t come so unannounced next time!” The old woman exclaimed in Thai, her eyes softening up at the sight of Lisa grinning back.

“Sorry Grandma, I was just really craving some tom yum,” Lisa responded in her mother tongue, rubbing her stomach and pouting cutely at the other.

“You could get that at any Thai restaurant, you don’t necessarily have to come to mine,” Grandma laughed, her hoarse chuckle bringing life into the dull atmosphere.

“I’ll rephrase that then: I want _your_ tom yum,” Lisa brought her elbows up to the table and laid her face in her hands, “It tastes better than any other restaurant!”

“It’s not authentic though; it’s only my take on the dish,” Grandma reasoned, slowly approaching the girl.

“I wouldn’t care for authenticity, Grandma. The reason I like it is that it reminds me… of h-home,” Lisa’s voice wavered.

Grandma pressed her lips together, “Oh, come here,” The woman’s frail arms wrapped around Lisa’s neck, the latter breathing in the scent of spice and seasoning in her dirtied apron. Lisa hugged her back gently, but still with all the love she could offer.

Grandma’s pruney fingers raked the girl’s hair, softly playing with the strands of brown, “With or without shrimp?”

“With shrimp please,” Lisa looked up from the fabric and into the eyes of the older woman.

Grandma sat down across from Lisa, making herself comfortable on the otherwise uncomfortable seating, “Is that the only reason you came? For tom yum?”

Lisa shook her head, “Of course not, Grandma, I wanted to come to see you, too.”

“There’s nothing much to see, Lalisa,” Grandma twiddled her fingers.

“Really? I see my favorite grandma in the world right in front of me,” Lisa swooned.

“With such sweet words, I think I’ve found a reason to still breathe,” Grandma narrowed her eyes accusingly.

“Don’t say that Grandma, you’re not that old!”

“The numbers speak differently, I’m quickly approaching eighty-six,” Grandma sighed in dismay.

“Well, you’re not there yet. There are about…” Lisa made a show of counting with her fingers, “fifty-three more days until your next birthday.”

“Time to count the minutes and seconds,” Grandma teased.

“Would you want me to do that for you?”

She grimaced, “Ah, please don’t.”

“I’m joking,” Lisa laughed.

“The things I would give to have the chance to raise a kid like you,” Grandma mused.

“It doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other. As long as we’re together now, Grandma, we’re both happy, right?”

Grandma reached over the table to plant a soft kiss on Lisa’s hair-covered forehead, “You’re absolutely correct. You really do have your moments, Lisa,” She chuckled, “Have you eaten yet?”

“No, but I’m fin‐” Lisa’s stomach grumbled loudly in protest.

“Your body says differently,” Grandma clicked her tongue, “Will you take out the trash for me while I make the soup?” She asked, tightening the straps of her apron. She pointed to the bag of garbage discreetly hidden behind one of the chairs.

“Sure, where do I take it out?” Lisa stood up from the plastic chair, the seat wobbling from imbalance.

“Just behind all of the booths. There’s a joint dumpster that I share with the dumpling and bun lady next door,” Grandma gestured in the general direction, and Lisa could almost taste the sweet taro buns wafting from the tent a few yards away.

“Got it,” She pulled away from the chair and heaved up the heavy, overflowing bag, its waste almost toppling out.

“I’ll be back in a few,” Lisa called over her shoulder to the woman, lifting the tent flap. Grandma hummed in response.

The arid weather outside had Lisa gulping, regretting not asking for a bottle of water prior to taking on the task. She trudged over the sun-dried dirt and grass, the residue smudging her shoes in the process. She dodged kids wielding plastic bubble wands, waving them about frantically and pretending to be wizards. Adults surrounding the area held out their phones, taking videos of the kids and their wild antics. Internally smiling at the lighthearted people in her vicinity, she kept a casual pace.

She looked in front of her and kept walking when really her line of sight should’ve been lower. Lisa stopped dead in her tracks when she felt a smaller figure collide into her and the bag of trash and fall. She frantically crouched down to check the groaning little boy, who rubbed his forehead like it was bruised.

“Ouch… ma’am, are you okay?” The boy looked up and Lisa saw the beginnings of tears in his large, doe-like eyes. She almost cooed aloud when he prioritized her state first.

“No, I’m perfectly fine… where did I hit you?” Lisa asked the obvious question. The boy pointed to his sensitive forehead, the red skin slowly turning a shade of light purple.

“I’m so sorry, here let me help you up,” Lisa reached a hand out for him and he took it gratefully. He was up on his feet in a few seconds, and Lisa noticed he still clutched his bubble wand tightly. The boy saw where she was looking and he waved it playfully in her face.

“ _Expelliarmus!”_ He shouted, a smile playing on his lips.

“Ah, that won’t work on me, I don’t have a wand,” Lisa shook her head and laughed.

“Oh… I don’t really know what this spell does… I just keep hearing it so I decided to use it,” He admitted.

“Do you know any other spells?” Lisa asked, patting his fluffy hair.

“I do know one more… _Lumos!”_ He cast the wand and many bubbles formed from it.

“I see… are you battling against your friends?” Lisa popped a bubble in the air.

“Sort of… they pushed me away because I didn’t know many spells and how to play. And I’m not cool enough,” He looked crestfallen.

Lisa frowned, “That’s not very nice. Would you want me to teach you some?”

He eagerly smiled, “Yes, please! If you don’t mind!”

Lisa took the wand from the boy’s grasp, “I don’t mind at all,” She waved it a little, “Let’s see if I remember… so what’s the objective of the game?”

“To eliminate all of the other wizards. The last, remaining one wins.”

“Are all spells… and curses allowed?”

“Yep!”

Lisa devilishly grinned, “Try _Crucio_ and _Avada Kedavra_.”

The boy was puzzled, “I’ve never heard those two before.”

“The other kids haven’t used it yet?”

He scratched his head, “Uh, no.”

“Have fun winning the match then… what’s your name?”

“It’s Chenle,” he beamed.

“Well, Chenle, I think you’re the coolest wizard I’ve met!” Lisa raised her hand for a high five.

Chenle enthusiastically clapped her hand back, “Really? Thank you, ma’am!”

“No worries,” Lisa patted his back, “Go out there and win for me!” He scrambled out onto the open field and went to play with his friends.

Lisa sighed and picked up the trash bag, going back to her previous task at hand. There weren’t any more interruptions on her way to the joint dumpster, and Lisa took the time to reorganize her wild thoughts.

What was going to happen to Grandma if Lisa didn’t visit her frequently? Would she not get enough money to pay for all the expenses of holding a booth in the market? Lisa didn’t want to think about it because Grandma always told her to not worry about her as much, but she really had to sometimes. The poor, old woman was getting weaker by the day, and Lisa didn’t have time to care for her as much as she did back then when she first came to Korea. Grandma had been so kind and caring when she couldn’t communicate well in Korean, but the woman knew some Thai herself after having lived there for quite some time. The small booth was Lisa’s safe haven, and the girl didn’t know if she could ever repay the old woman for all she had done to help and protect her.

She constantly asked about how Lisa’s day was going, how the new job was, how her friends were doing, and never wished for anything in return. She only asked for Lisa to bring someone whom she admired and loved, maybe to see if she approved of the partner, but Lisa didn’t know the details of that yet. Even when Lisa came out to her, feeling uneasy about the confrontation herself knowing how others reacted to it, she gave her a big hug and told her that it didn’t change anything. _“You’re still my Lisa~”_

Lisa’s heart warmed at the thought of a smiling and proud Grandma, and even though they weren’t blood-related, Lisa easily loved her more than any of her blood-family members.

She reached the dumpster and threw the bag in, hearing the contents that were already inside clang and smash against the new trash. The smell of rotten and spoiled foods reeked from the dumpster, and Lisa took it as an initiative to breathe in and from her mouth. She could taste the tangy residue on her lips and made quick work of cleaning up the surroundings and throwing any discarded things into the dumpster.

Her body stiffened when another scent joined the mix, her mind sending all sorts of warning signals at her. She couldn’t think clearly, as if the familiar fragrance fogged her mind and threw everything into disarray. She didn’t dare turn around and let them approach her, with heavy footsteps matching Lisa’s heavy heart. Lisa doubted at first: it couldn’t be them. They parted ways, although reluctantly, all those years ago. Lisa had escaped them, and she barely left any traces of herself behind. She was practically dead in their eyes. Nothing was heard from her side, as nothing was heard from theirs. Bile crept up her throat, and a feeling of dread soon overtook her senses. Her grip on a fallen-apart piece of cardboard loosened, falling to the ground next to her feet.

“I was waiting for the anticipated reunion,” A gruff, male voice called out to her, “but you never showed up.”

Shuffling of feet was heard but Lisa did not look back. Another voice, not as hoarse but more smooth and calm, pricked the hairs on her neck and tempted her to whip around, “A no-show, a no-show, that’s what she is. I must say, I was disappointed to hear about the news of your disappearance. But, I guess this is where you disappeared to.”

“We liked you, and you worked well. We worked well. Our combined traits played nicely together,” The first man commented.

The second sighed, “But you just had to ruin it.”

“Is this what they call sweet, sweet revenge?” Lisa could hear the snarl in his voice and it sent shivers down her back. Never did she think that the cold tone would be directed at her.

“Aish, stay on task! This is partly why we miss you, Lalisa, you kept him in reins,” The strong cologne wafted behind her, creating a musky and invisible trail leading to the owner.

“Turn around, will you? It’s considered rude if you don’t look us in the eye. We aren’t Medusa or anything…”

Lisa didn’t know what got into her.

But, she turned around.

Her eyesight was fixed to the ground and her head hung low, to avoid unnecessary eye contact.

“Halfway there, c’mon, Manoban,” The first goaded.

She slowly met eyes with them, and her knees grew weak at the sight of seeing them again. Even after so long, they had barely changed. Lisa couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing.

The first had a burly build, with toned arms and a too-tight white tee. He slumped back, giving her a toothy and misleading grin. His jeans had holes bored into them like several spots had been burned out. And they probably were, considering the holes also looked like cigar burns.  His frizzy hair peeked out from the cap it was under.

The second man seemed to be the polar opposite of his counterpart. He still stood tall, and his posture was upright and refined. He had on an unwrinkled black dress shirt, dark trousers, and a designer watch. His slicked-back hair was tidied, and he was cleanly-shaven. His eyes held a mischievous glint to them, and Lisa had no clue what went on inside the man’s brilliant mind.

She gathered all her courage at the moment and attempted to sidestep the two men, to dodge the problems she had realized she never found a permanent solution for. The first man placed a firm grasp on her shoulder, almost making her wince in pain at how hard his fingers were digging into the sensitive flesh. He pulled away, but it definitely left a mark that Lisa would have to check out later. If there even would be a later. She’d be lucky to survive this.

“Ah, sorry Manoban, but I can’t have you ruining yet another reunion,” he shook his head, “even if we didn’t plan this one, it’d still be nice of you to play along with us.”

Her previous courage had waned, and she found herself swallowing nervously. She could easily put up a face, though. “What do you want, Daehyun?”

Kwon Daehyun cleared his rough throat and lazily smiled. He looked at his counterpart, Jung Hakyeon, and the latter responded to Lisa, “You already know what we came for, don’t play dumb.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows, a poor habit of hers whenever she was with them back in the day. Only this time, the two wouldn’t tolerate it. Daehyun threw a punch to Lisa’s stomach, causing the girl to double over in pain.

“Ah~ don’t be so sensitive, that wasn’t even my hardest,” The vague threat didn’t pass by Lisa’s ears.

Hakyeon stood back, crossing his arms, “I’ll make it simpler for you: Mr. Kim wants you back, and he wants you back now.”

“Boss has been wanting you back for a while now. All of the others couldn’t even compare to you. We weren’t kidding when we said you were hella good, Lisa,” Daehyun jerked Lisa’s hunched over form forward, delivering a hard kick to the shins.

Hakyeon crouched down and looked at Lisa in the eye, “What do you say? You in?” He yanked her by the hair, a yelp escaping Lisa

“N-no…” Lisa built up her self-will, only for it to crumble with a hard smack to her back, “You wish…”

Hakyeon flicked Daehyun on the forehead, the former’s veins popping out in anger, “Yah! Remember who’s in charge here and stop! Listen, will you?”

Daehyun hushed up and stood by idly. Hakyeon inspected Lisa again, searching for a more suitable answer, “Mr. Kim wants you back, yes or no?”

Lisa shook her head.

“I’m giving you one more chance,” Hakyeon warned, “Yes… or no?”

“I said no,” Lisa gritted her teeth, “No more.” Her answer was more resolute.

“Daehyun,” The one called flinched and listened. Hakyeon did a signal with his fingers, “Now.”

Daehyun menacingly smiled, rows of broken whites on full display for Lisa. His first punch hit her arm, causing the limb to shoot with a flaring pain. Her arm was crooked, and every swing that it took from the previous momentum it had gained made Lisa weaker. Lisa blankly wondered how such hits like those didn’t hurt Daehyun himself since those fingers should've been as twisted as her arm right now, but her thoughts were interrupted when another fist came hurling at her.

His second punch was directed to her torso, the girl stumbling back blindly in the process. Lisa hissed, finding it suddenly harder to breathe. Her chest heaved up and down trying to suck in shallow breaths, only proving to cause her more pain flaring throughout.

The third hit her jaw, blood freely dribbling down the bruised, broken skin. She ran a tongue across her teeth, to check if any were possibly loosened. Lisa bit down on her tongue in the process, irony liquid gushing inside the muscle that Lisa could not swallow down. She spat some out, specks of it falling onto her blouse and onto a disgusted Daehyun, who continued to pummel her, more or less hitting the same spots.

“You know, Lalisa,” Hakyeon casually began, “It wasn’t meant to be taken as a question. Follow us, the driver’s getting skittish while waiting, I’m sure of it.” He tapped his wristwatch in annoyance, “We don’t have much time.”

Daehyun smudged the dirtied hands on his shirt and cracked his stiff knuckles, “Ugh, this doesn’t feel right. Just come along; I don’t want this as much as you do.” His eyes flicked over to Lisa’s in pity.

Hakyeon glowered at Daehyun and stomped on his foot. The latter now held a murderous look in his eyes, glaring daggers at him. Daehyun winced in pain, “Ouch! I’m being honest!”

“Honesty has no place here. You should’ve known that when you accepted the offer,” He scowled, "You should know that very well, too, Lisa."

Daehyun grabbed Lisa and hoisted her up, slinging her over his shoulder, “C’mon, let’s get going.”

Hakyeon tsked and ran a hand through his hair, “Mr. Kim will be awfully irked at how long we too‐”

“Hey!” A sharp voice yelled from the other side of the alleyway, “Put her down!” The figure ran down, the slaps of her Converse hitting the ground were deafeningly loud in the silence. Lisa looked weakly at her savior, the spots in her vision dancing uncontrollably. The pants could be heard from the opposite side, but the runner wasted no time in getting to Lisa.

“Shit,” Hakyeon muttered, clenching his fists in frustration. He nudged Daehyun to quickly drop Lisa, and the latter complied, Lisa dropping down with a loud groan. The girl could feel a welt forming on the back of her head and hissed when she found it with her wandering fingers.

“Until next time,” Daehyun lowered himself to Lisa’s level and reminded her, the beginnings of an impish grin on his face. They soon broke into a dangerous sprint, leaving the wounded girl in the dust. Lisa wiped the blood on her lip, the vivid red smudging onto her pale hand. Her vision struggled to regain its focus, blacking out and coming back every few seconds. Her head lolled back to hit the dumpster, making a loud bang that resonated throughout.

The footsteps of the other got closer and Lisa could hear them in her vicinity now. She weakly opened her eyes and saw the person—a girl, Lisa could fuzzily distinguish by her long, swinging hair—that slowed her pace immensely before slowly crouching down to look at Lisa. She kept a respectful distance but still stayed close enough for Lisa to be able to make out that she was still next to her.

“M-miss, are you o-okay?” The girl shakily asked, reaching out a hesitant hand to brush away the soot on Lisa’s forehead. Her lithe, gentle fingers contrasted deeply from Daehyun’s earlier strikes, and Lisa felt herself starting to lean into the touch, the warmth she radiated. The girl left her hand there on her head to calm the other down. Lisa’s breathing was shallow and forced, the little intakes of air becoming hiccups.

“Hold on… I’ll go get someone… Just wait here please,” She released Lisa and gradually began to stand up. Lisa jerked her hand out rapidly and clutched the girl’s arm, eliciting a gasp of pain when she moved too fast. She eased her grip on the girl, but the latter kept her still, stroking Lisa’s hand.

“W-wait…” Lisa managed to croak out, “I’ll b-be fine, just help me up, that’s all.”

Lisa nodded to the unconvinced girl, and to herself as well. If she had to persuade the girl, she first had to persuade herself. Lisa brushed her hands on her now-tattered and dirtied jeans and tried to push herself up off the ground. A wave of nausea hit her as she lost her sense of balance.

“Would you be able to pull yourself up if I help you?” She tilted her head to the side like she was examining Lisa.

“I t-think so,” Lisa thought for a bit, thinking of all the different ways this could go terribly wrong. But, even if she were to analyze all the outcomes, she’d never care in the end. She had always been able to take risks without hesitation. It was just something she’d become accustomed to.

She extended her hands, palms up and ready for Lisa. The girl took them adamantly at first, but when she was certain she could trust the other, she willingly took both of her hands. She was careful to not jerk Lisa up, not wanting to cause her any more pain, and instead let Lisa hold onto one of her hands while the other found a place near the small of her back.

The injured girl slipped on a stray piece of cardboard that was situated near her feet and would’ve fallen back into the dumpster if the unknown girl’s hand hadn’t been there, supporting her back. She still leaned onto the greasy side of the dumpster, but also onto her hand. She was startled at how Lisa had fallen and flinched at the sudden movement. Her body crashed onto the other’s, and the former encircled an arm around Lisa’s neck, to balance herself from slipping further. Lisa, on the other hand, was fine except for a little burst of pain she felt.

“Are you okay?” She asked into Lisa’s neck, her head awkwardly resting on her shoulder, “Sorry, I‐”

“No, it’s fine. Will you just get off please?” Lisa muttered into the other’s entangled hair. Some strands her practically choking her, and some were in her mouth.

She sheepishly nodded and got back to standing upright and on her own two feet.

Lisa grabbed the ridged side of the dumpster for support, while the girl beside her quickly draped Lisa’s arm over her shoulders.

“Steady, there,” The girl looked over at Lisa in worry, her eyebrows knitting together. Lisa took a good, long look at her face, and she dawned in realization. The pretty face had definitely been paired with a personality before‐ many times, actually.

Lisa could match the person with their name, undoubtedly:

Park Chaeyoung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg it took so long to get this up but here's chapter 15! It was initially going to be longer but I thought it would get confusing if it wasn't divided so that's what I did! For clarification, Daehyun and Hakyeon are original characters. I couldn't think of any real idols that could fit the roles I had in mind so I decided to play it safe as to not offend anyone if I were to choose idols. Part two of "Contradictions" will be up soon (let's hope it's soon...) "Say life's a bitch but mine-" nope life's just a bitch. See y'all! =D


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